Wake Forest University
Syracuse
Demon Deacons Battle For 4-3 Win Over Syracuse
4/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Andrew Wilson, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWTennis)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's tennis team showed resiliency all afternoon and came away with a 4-3 victory Saturday against Syracuse at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
The win snapped a four-match losing streak overall and five-match losing streak in Atlantic Coast Conference action. The Demon Deacons improved to 13-11 on the season and 3-9 in conference play while Syracuse fell to 7-10 and 2-9 in ACC action. With three wins in conference play, Wake Forest has tied its mark in ACC play from last season.
With the match tied 3-3, Kimmy Guerin and Amanda Rodgers found themselves locked in a third-set battle at No. 1 singles battling for the match. The contest reached a third set after Guerin held off two match points in the second-set tiebreaker at 7-6 and 8-7. Down 8-7, she rattled off three points in a row to take the tiebreaker 10-8.
In the third set, both players held serve to start out, but Guerin picked up a break of Rodgers to go up 2-1 on serve. The two traded holding service until Rodgers broke Guerin back to make it 4-4. After Rodgers went up 6-5 with the two players holding serve for three games in a row, she jumped out to a 40-15 advantage in the game to put Guerin up against double-match point. Guerin battled back again to force deuce and ultimately held serve to send the match to a third-set tiebreaker.
After Guerin earned the first point of the tiebreaker, Rodgers rattled off three points in a row to take a 3-1 lead. Guerin ultimately fought back and took the tiebreaker to a tie at 4-4. She then dropped the next point to fall behind 5-4, but rebounded with a three-point run to clinch the match with a 3-6, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5) win at No. 1 singles.
Guerin's win came after Karen Forman earned a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory at No. 5 over Komal Safdar. Forman was trailing 4-3 in the third set before winning three games in a row to take her match. The win at No. 5 singles made the match 3-3. Paired with Guerin's win, the two points in a row were the only consecutive points picked up by either team on the afternoon.
The Orange started the day by winning the doubles point with victories on Nos. 2 and 3. The duo of Luisa Fernandez and Courtney Meredith fell 8-7 (4) at No. 3 while Andrea Retolaza Andrade and Xue Zhang fell 8-3 on No. 2. At No. 1, Guerin and Kasey Gardiner were in a tiebreaker, but the match was abandoned with the Demon Deacons' pairing up 6-4 on serve.
Trailing 1-0, Meredith knotted the match quickly in singles as she breezed to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles.
Shortly after Meredith's win, Zhang fell to Valeria Salazar at No. 2 singles 6-4, 6-2. In her first set, Zhang fell down 4-0 before rattling off four games in a row to tie it 4-4.
With the Deacs trailing 2-1, Fernandez again tied the match with a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 4 singles. Fernandez was down 5-2 in the second set against Breanna Bachini before winning five games in a row to take the match.
Syracuse's final point of the afternoon came from No. 3 singles where Rhiann Newborn earned a 7-5, 7-5 win over Samantha Asch. From there, Wake Forest won the two matches at Nos. 1 and 5 to take the victory.
Wake Forest returns to action for its final home match of the regular season Sunday morning on Senior Day against NC State. First serve at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex is set for 11 a.m. Forman and senior manager Akina Anand will be honored in a prematch ceremony prior to the contest against the Wolfpack.
Wake Forest 4, Syracuse 3
Singles competition
1. Kimmy Guerin (WF) def. Amanda Rodgers (SU) 3-6, 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-5)
2. Valeria Salazar (SU) def. Xue Zhang (WF) 6-4, 6-2
3. Rhiann Newborn (SU) def. Samantha Asch (WF) 7-5, 7-5
4. Luisa Fernandez (WF) def. Breanna Bachini (SU) 6-2, 7-5
5. Karen Forman (WF) def. Komal Safdar (SU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. Courtney Meredith (WF) def. Nicole Micthell (SU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Kasey Gardiner/Kimmy Guerin (WF) vs. Valeria Salazar/Komal Safdar (SU) 7-7 (6-4), unfinished
2. Rhiann Newborn/Amanda Rodgers (SU) def. Andrea Retolaza/Xue Zhang (WF) 8-3
3. Breanna Bachini/Nicole Micthell (SU) def. Luisa Fernandez/Courtney Meredith (WF) 8-7 (7-4)
Match Notes
Syracuse 7-10 (2-9 ACC)
Wake Forest 13-11 (3-9 ACC)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,2,4,3,5,1)
Match played outdoors
T-4:42 A-133
Players Mentioned
