Women’s Tennis Secures Undefeated Opening Weekend | Sports

Harvard opened its season against Niagara University with its first of three consecutive home matches. After having an undefeated conference season and earning the title of Ivy League champions last year, the team was back for more victories with a strong showing against the Purple Eagles.

The Crimson earned its first point through the efforts of each doubles team remaining in the game. First to complete their set was the No. 2 doubles duo of juniors Kavya Karra and Kate Kim, who climbed their way to a 6-1 finish through strong plays at the net and consistent strokes.

The No. 3 doubles team of freshman Claire Shao and sophomore Anna-Raphaelle Serghi began their match by putting four games on the board before Niagara could earn their first, and ended with a 6-4 win.

The No. 1 doubles pair, junior captain Stephanie Yakoff and freshman Polina Krumkachev, went back and forth with the Purple Eagles and completed their set with a mirrored score of 6-4.

After a sweep in doubles, singles play began on a high note for the host.

The Crimson tested some of its new talent, with many of its young players starting in singles positions. Notably, at the No. 2 spot, Shao demonstrated her ability to compete in both doubles and singles formats, winning her first set against Niagara junior Gabriela Melo early with a 6-1 score. No. 3 Karra similarly finished with a perfect 6-0 set, and was followed shortly by No. 5 sophomore Natasha Rajaram, whose strong forehand game earned her a 6-1 clinch.

These courts moved quickly into their second sets, which saw similar success from the Harvard players. Karra gained a second overall point for the Crimson with a second 6-0 win, finishing her day with a near-perfect scoring record. Rajaram also ended her match with a 6-2 second-set score, furthering Harvard’s lead over Niagara.

Shao saw a tougher second set against Melo and found herself falling behind in games. Nevertheless, the rookie closed the gap and ended at 4-6, splitting her sets and moving into a 10-point tiebreaker.

“It is great to see our first years get their feet wet in dual match competition,” said Harvard’s Head Coach Traci Green. “I expect them to continue growing each match.”

No. 1 Yakoff played a long and difficult set against her opponent, Isabel Garcia, with each player trying to gain an edge over the other through forced errors. Yakoff stayed in the match and proved that persistence is everything, and climbed out of a disadvantage and into a 7-5 gritty win.

No. 6 freshman Andra Braicu battled Niagara freshman Julia Clarke-Louie by maximizing her use of the open court, and traded games with the Purple Eagle until defeating her 6-4.

No. 4 Serghi reached a 6-4 conclusion in her first set, and started her second round of game play with an early lead in games. Due to an injury by Niagara player Saloni Tamang, the set was forfeit and another point was given to Harvard, officially winning the overall match.

Gameplay continued nonetheless, with Shao narrowly conceding a 7-10 tiebreak, giving Niagara an overall match point.

Braicu continued to play her game and ended her match with a 4-2 set and another point for Harvard.

Yakoff, the last left playing on the court, dominated Garcia with a 6-0 win that consisted of strong baseline game and strategic shot placement— finalizing the final score at Harvard 6, Niagara 1.

“It was great to see a lot of our hard work come through,” said Coach Green after the match, emphasizing that her team and coaching staff have been working hard to prepare for the season over the winter recess.

After just one day off, Harvard then faced off against its cross-town competitor, playing Boston University (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) at home. While Coach Green previously predicted high-level competition from the Terriers, the Crimson rose to the occasion and defeated them in a decisive 4-1 victory.

Harvard was able to clinch the doubles point thanks to key wins by the No. 1 doubles duo Yakoff and junior Natalie Block on the first court, as well as the comeback success of Karra and Kim at the number two spot.

Karra and Kim, initially down by three games, were able to climb out from the deficit and secure the set for Harvard, capitalizing on the errors of the BU duo of Blanka Dimicheli and Rhea Rai.

This win followed a quick loss at the number three spot, with Serghi and Shao falling to BU’s Emily Zhao and Madison Liu 6-1.

Yakoff and Block battled it out point for point at the top court and were able to finish their set with a 6-4 win, putting one on the board for Harvard.

Moving into singles play, the Crimson became tied at 1-1 with BU due to an injury that forced Krumkachev to forfeit the match early during her first set.

However, Harvard made sure the score wasn’t even for long, tallying more points with victories from Kim and Karra at the No. 5 and No. 4 singles spots, respectively.

Kim played a competitive first set against Zhao, which ended with a 6-4 first set win, and an efficient 6-1 second set win that placed the Crimson in the lead once again.

Karra held a strong multi-game lead over her opponent in both sets, and rounded out with a 6-2, 6-1 domination that contributed to Harvard’s third overall point.

No. 1 Yakoff and No. 3 Shao were putting up strong fights against their BU opponents. Yakoff earned a 6-2 win and set off on a tight second set, while Shao initially lost 6-3 to Ellie Gyuro and then confidently won her second 6-1.

Meanwhile, clinching Harvard’s fourth point was Braicu, who consistently held a lead over BU’s Rai and defeated her 6-3, 6-4 with a strong baseline game. The storm, which began during the match, created hazardous driving conditions, spurring the coaches to decide not to play out the remainder of the matches.

Next up for Harvard is another local competitor, the Boston College Eagles, who are visiting Harvard’s Murr Center on Jan. 27, at 6:00 p.m. EST.