Sunday, January 21
Knoxville, Tenn.
9:30 A.M.
Wake Forest University
1
at
6
#18 Tennessee
Wyshner Earns 350th-Career Win, Splits First Two Matches of the Season
1/21/2024 7:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Sankavi Gownder notched her first-career win over a ranked opponent.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - On the opening day of match play for the 2024 season, the Wake Forest women's tennis team went 1-1 inside Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tenn. Sunday (Jan. 21). After dropping the first game, 6-1, to Tennessee, the Demon Deacons bounced back with a 4-0 victory over Bellarmine.
Freshman Sankavi Gownder highlighted the day with three individual victories, including the first ranked win of her career in the first match against Tennessee as she took down No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro (6-2, 6-2).
With the victory over Bellarmine, head coach Jeff Wyshner earned his 350th-career win at the helm of a collegiate women's tennis program across his 31 seasons.
The Deacs are now 16-19 all-time against the Volunteers and 1-0 against the Knights.
Match 1 – Wake Forest 1, No. 18 Tennessee 6
Despite a strong start to doubles action, the Deacs dropped the point and went into singles play down, 0-1.
Sankavi Gownder tied the match at 1-1 with her ranked win over No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro (6-2, 6-2). She became the second Demon Deacon this month to record her first-career ranked win, following Nevena Carton's victory last weekend at the Carolina Kickoff.
How it Happened
Doubles Results:
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Singles Results:
Match 2 – Wake Forest 4, Bellarmine 0
The Deacs picked up their first win of the season, as well as the 350th of head coach Jeff Wyshner's career, in the 4-0 victory over Bellarmine.
Wake Forest went a perfect 2-0 in doubles, with wins from Cruz/Killingsworth (6-3) and Gownder/Pate (6-1) in first and third doubles, respectively.
In singles, Gownder picked up her third victory of the day (6-3, 6-0) while Pate (6-1, 6-3) and Carton (6-1, 6-0) rounded out the singles victories for the Deacs.
How it Happened
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles Results:
From the Head Honcho
"I was a bit disappointed in the first match, because I thought coming off of last weekend that we were ready to be a bit sharper even though it was our first match. We played pretty well, but not at a high-enough level to beat a top 20 team on the road. We also have to seize the moment in doubles more in a match like that. Still, it was a first step to the season and then we responded really well in the second match. Our doubles were good and Nevena, Sankavi and Whitley stepped up and dominated their singles. It was a really great first day for Sankavi with three wins in her first dual match day. In the end, I'm excited at the potential we showed today."
Next Up
The Deacs will now head to Gainesville, Fla. for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Action will begin on Saturday (Jan. 27) against San Diego.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Freshman Sankavi Gownder highlighted the day with three individual victories, including the first ranked win of her career in the first match against Tennessee as she took down No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro (6-2, 6-2).
With the victory over Bellarmine, head coach Jeff Wyshner earned his 350th-career win at the helm of a collegiate women's tennis program across his 31 seasons.
The Deacs are now 16-19 all-time against the Volunteers and 1-0 against the Knights.
Match 1 – Wake Forest 1, No. 18 Tennessee 6
Despite a strong start to doubles action, the Deacs dropped the point and went into singles play down, 0-1.
Sankavi Gownder tied the match at 1-1 with her ranked win over No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro (6-2, 6-2). She became the second Demon Deacon this month to record her first-career ranked win, following Nevena Carton's victory last weekend at the Carolina Kickoff.
How it Happened
- All three doubles matches were tight through the opening few games, as Cruz/Killingsworth took a 3-2 lead while the other two Wake Forest pairs trailed, 2-4.
- After wins on courts two and three, respectively, Tennessee clinched the doubles point and took a 1-0 lead into singles action.
- Court one went unfinished with Cruz/Killingsworth behind, 4-5.
- Killingsworth (Court 2), Gownder (Court 5) and Blanch (Court 6) all jumped out to quick, 2-0 leads as the other three courts split the first two games.
- Gownder took the first set on Court 5, 6-2.
- Killingsworth battled and forced a first-set tiebreak in second singles, but dropped it, 4-7.
- Tennessee took the first set on the other four courts.
- Gownder continued to take control in fifth singles, as she held a 2-0 lead in the second set.
- The freshman grabbed her first-career win over a ranked opponent (6-2, 6-2) and brought Wake Forest level, 1-1.
- Tennessee took courts four, six and one to clinch the match.
- The two sides decided to play out courts two and three as the Volunteers took the match, 6-1.
Doubles Results:
- Cabezas/Tomase (UT) vs. Cruz/Killingsworth (WFU) 5-4 (unfinished)
- Adeshina/Wolfberg (UT) def. Blanch/Wooten (WFU) 6-3
- Aulia/Anzalotta (UT) def. Gownder/Pate (WFU) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Singles Results:
- No. 92 Sofia Cabezas (UT) def. No. 42 Casie Wooten (WFU) 6-3, 6-3
- No. 91 Alana Wolfberg (UT) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
- Catherine Aulia (UT) def. Marcella Cruz (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
- No. 115 Elza Tomase (UT) def. Nevena Carton (WFU) 6-3, 6-3
- Sankavi Gownder (WFU) def. No. 100 Eleonora Molinaro (UT) 6-2, 6-2
- Lauren Anzalotta (UT) def. Krystal Blanch (WFU) 6-2, 6-3
Match 2 – Wake Forest 4, Bellarmine 0
The Deacs picked up their first win of the season, as well as the 350th of head coach Jeff Wyshner's career, in the 4-0 victory over Bellarmine.
Wake Forest went a perfect 2-0 in doubles, with wins from Cruz/Killingsworth (6-3) and Gownder/Pate (6-1) in first and third doubles, respectively.
In singles, Gownder picked up her third victory of the day (6-3, 6-0) while Pate (6-1, 6-3) and Carton (6-1, 6-0) rounded out the singles victories for the Deacs.
How it Happened
- All three Wake Forest doubles pairs took an early lead.
- Cruz/Killingsworth led 3-2 on Court 1
- Ahmad/Wooten led 3-0 on Court 2
- Gownder/Pate led 3-1 on Court 3
- Gownder and Pate earned the first win of the day, 6-1, in third doubles and moved the Deacs to just one win away from taking the doubles point.
- Wake Forest clinched the doubles point as Cruz/Killingsworth took down Tikhonko/Kramarova, 6-3, on Court 1.
- Court 2 went unfinished with Ahmad/Wooten leading, 4-2.
- The Deacs got off to a hot start in singles, as they led on four of the six courts halfway through the first set.
- Wooten led 4-2 on Court 1.
- Carton led 4-1 on Court 2.
- Gownder led 3-2 on Court 3.
- Pate led 3-1 on Court 4.
- Carton was the first to win a set, 6-1, in second singles.
- Pate followed seconds later with a 6-1 first-set victory of her own on Court 4.
- On Court 3, Gownder continued her strong day with a 6-3 first-set victory.
- Wooten and Ahmad both took the first set, 6-4, on courts one and five, respectively.
- Li dropped the opening set, 6(3)-7, in sixth singles.
- Carton (6-1, 6-0) and Gownder (6-3, 6-0) took courts two and three, respectively.
- Pate clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-3 victory on Court 4 as the Deacs earned their first win of the season.
- Courts one, five and six went unfinished.
- Cruz/Killingsworth (WFU) def. Tikhonko/Kramarova (BU) 6-3
- Ahmad/Wooten (WFU) vs. Kryslova/Hagi (BU) 4-2, unfinished
- Gownder/Pate (WFU) def. Caruk/Grosso (BU) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles Results:
- Marcella Cruz (WFU) vs. Ekaterina Tikhonko (BU) 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
- Nevena Carton (WFU) def. Marika Caruk (BU) 6-1, 6-0
- Sankavi Gownder (WFU) def. Vendula Kryslova (BU) 6-3, 6-0
- Whitley Pate (WFU) def. Erica Kanna Hagi (BU) 6-1, 6-3
- Mia Ahmad (WFU) vs. Yeva Kramarova (BU) 6-4, 3-1, unfinished
- Jingyi Li (WFU) vs. Lillie Willis (BU) 6(3)-7, 1-0, unfinished
From the Head Honcho
"I was a bit disappointed in the first match, because I thought coming off of last weekend that we were ready to be a bit sharper even though it was our first match. We played pretty well, but not at a high-enough level to beat a top 20 team on the road. We also have to seize the moment in doubles more in a match like that. Still, it was a first step to the season and then we responded really well in the second match. Our doubles were good and Nevena, Sankavi and Whitley stepped up and dominated their singles. It was a really great first day for Sankavi with three wins in her first dual match day. In the end, I'm excited at the potential we showed today."
Next Up
The Deacs will now head to Gainesville, Fla. for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Action will begin on Saturday (Jan. 27) against San Diego.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
12
33
Sofia Cabezas / 0 (92/-) [TENN]
66
#2 Singles Match
12
64
Alana Wolfberg / 0 (91/-) [TENN]
76
#3 Singles Match
12
34
Catherine Aulia / 0 [TENN]
66
#4 Singles Match
12
33
Elza Tomase / 0 (115/-) [TENN]
66
#5 Singles Match
12
66
Eleonora Molinaro / 0 (100/-) [TENN]
22
#6 Singles Match
12
23
Lauren Anzalotta / 0 [TENN]
66
Order of Finish:
5,4,6,1,3,2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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