Wake Forest University
Illinois
Wake Forest Women’s Tennis Claims 2023 Blue Gray Classic Championship
2/25/2023 10:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
After completing their victory over No. 32 Illinois earlier in the day, the Deacs secured a second Blue Gray Classic title with a victory over No. 47 Texas Tech.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – For the second time in four years, the Wake Forest women's tennis team has claimed the Blue Gray Classic championship, as the Demon Deacons defeated No. 47 Texas Tech 4-2 in the finals on Saturday evening.
It was the second ranked victory on the day for the Deacs, as they knocked off No. 32 Illinois 4-1 in the semifinals. Additionally, Wake Forest made its fifth consecutive championship appearance in the Blue Gray Classic. In 2020, the Deacs took down No. 5 Princeton in the championship.
Helping secure the doubles point over Texas Tech, Anna Brylin and Brooke Killingsworth became the sixth Wake Forest pair all-time to reach 50 career wins. Then in singles action, Brylin moved into a tie for the 10th-most singles wins in program history (86) alongside Emma Davis (2015-19). Battles throughout highlighted the championship bout before Nevena Carton secured the victory by defeating Texas Tech's Metka Komac 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
After taking the doubles point against No. 32 Illinois yesterday evening (Feb. 24), Wake Forest kept its momentum going in singles competition. The Deacs knocked off the Fighting Illini in a 4-1 decision for its first ranked match victory of 2023. Brylin shined in another straight-sets victory for her second of the year over a ranked opponent. The team captain additionally has won a team-best 10 solo matches this season.
Singles – How it Happened (vs. No. 32 Illinois – Semifinals)
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Enduring a four-hour wait due to a rain delay, Wake Forest was able to finally take the courts for singles against Illinois once the early afternoon arrived.
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Three opening games all went the way of Whitley Pate in her first set.
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Anna Brylin took three of four games for a small advantage of 4-3 in second singles.
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Brooke Killingsworth quickly got into a groove, winning four of her first five games on court three.
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Brylin finished out another pair of games to become the first individual to capture a first-set victory (6-3).
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Killingsworth's court soon became tied up at 5-5 in set one.
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Nevena Carton showed strong focus on her way to a 6-4 finish in the first frame.
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Moments later, Pate entered a tiebreaker.
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The freshman would hang on to walk into her second set with a victory.
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Killingsworth also stayed poised, claiming two more games for a 7-5 first-set win.
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Five of Wake Forest's six players held the upper hand as the first set concluded.
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Brylin made a strong push through her second set, ultimately securing her tenth singles win of the year and second over a ranked opponent (No. 102 Ashley Yeah).
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Wake Forest went ahead in the match, 2-0.
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Illinois placed itself on the scoreboard with a win in sixth singles not long after Brylin finished.
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Pate was in full control during her second set, cruising to a straight-sets victory and stretching the Deacon lead to 3-1.
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It was her third solo win in a row.
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After Casie Wooten forced a third set, Carton stepped into a frame on her own.
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Killingsworth would be the one to put finishing touches on the semifinal outing, clinching in third singles.
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Wake Forest defeated No. 32 Illinois, 4-1, for its first ranked win of the year.
Singles Results:
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No. 39 Casie Wooten (WF) vs. Kate Duong (ILL) 2-6, 7-6 (3), 2-0, unfinished.
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No. 49 Anna Brylin (WF) def. No. 102 Ashley Yeah (ILL) 6-3, 6-4
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Brooke Killingsworth (WF) def. Megan Heuser (ILL) 7-5, 6-4
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Nevena Carton (WF) vs. Josie Frazier (ILL) 6-4, 2-6, 0-2, unfinished.
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Whitley Pate (WF) def. Kasia Treiber (ILL) 7-6 (5), 6-2
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Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Maddie Lynch (WF) 2-6, 0-6
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 5, 3
Doubles Results (vs. No. 32 Illinois on Feb. 24, 2023 – Semifinals)
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No. 31 Katherine Duong/Megan Heuser (ILL) def. No. 20 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) 3-6
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Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (WF) def. Josie Frazier/Emily Casati (ILL) 6-4
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Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (WF) def. Ashley Yeah/Violeta Martinez (ILL) 7-6 (6)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
How it Happened (vs. No. 47 Texas Tech – Championship)
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After a brief delay to open up the championship match with the Red Raiders, Wake Forest and Texas Tech experienced an early tussle in doubles with the top-20 ranked pairing of Anya Brylin and Brooke Killingsworth earring their 50th doubles victory together.
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Then, after Court 3 went in favor of the Red Raiders, the pairing of Mia Ahmad and Casie Wooten secured the doubles point for Wake Forest in a 6-4 decision.
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The tightly contested action continued in singles as Brylin won her first set 6-2 before clinching a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
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The win moved Brylin into a tie for 10th place in career singles wins in Wake Forest history (86) alongside Emma Davis.
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On Court 1, Wooten took her first set as well in 6-4 fashion before knocking off Olivia Peet by a final of 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
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After dropping the third set 6-4, Carton worked her way back to clinch the second set 6-3 before securing the title for the Deacs in the third set 6-3.
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Killingsworth also engaged in an intensely close matchup at 4-6, 6-4, 3-3 that went unfinished.
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Lynch and Pate each hung tough for the Deacs before falling 6-3, 7-5 and 6-3 6-1 respectively.
Doubles Results (vs. No. 47 Texas Tech – Championship)
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No. 20 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth def. Avelina Sayfetdinova/Metka Komac (TTU) 6-3
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Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (WF) def. Cristina Tiglia/Olivia Peet (TTU) 6-4
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Yekaterina Dmitrichenko/Camryn Steep (TTU) def. Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (WF) 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles Results (vs. No. 47 Texas Tech – Championship)
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No. 39 Casie Wooten (WF) def. Olivia Peet (TTU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
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No. 49 Anna Brylin (WF) def. Avelina Sayfetdinova (TTU) 6-2, 6-3
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Brooke Killingsworth (WF) vs. Cristina Tiglia (TTU) 4-6, 6-4, 3-3 unfinished
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Nevena Carton (WF) def. Metka Komac (TTU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
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Yekaterina Dmitrichenko (TTU) def. Whitley Pate 6-3, 6-1
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Arina Oreshchenkova (TTU) def. Maddie Lynch (WF) 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 6, 4
From the Head Honcho
"So proud of the effort we put in there today. Illinois was a grind and I had no idea the players could dig so deep and battle through another one the way they did. All nine players were committed to that match from beginning to end, and when a team acts like that, it is a joy for Andy and me to have the opportunity to coach them. Thank you to Blue Gray and Montgomery for putting on the best college event in the country!" - Head coach Jeff Wyshner
Up Next
Conference play starts for Wake Forest next weekend, beginning with a home showing against Clemson on Friday (March 3).
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,6,5,3
Players Mentioned
