The rain couldn’t wait for the conclusion of Duke’s season opener at the Kitty Harrison Invitational this weekend. On her final day of play, the Blue Devils gathered on the sidelines to cheer on transfer Eleana Yu as she battled a close match-up against Old Dominion’s Sophia Johnson.
Even after two track changes from the bad weather, Yu was unstoppable. The monarch was no match for her speed and aggression, as Johnson was eventually overpowered in a 10-point tiebreak (7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (5)). Although the forecast was cloudy over the Chewning Tennis Center, the Blue Devils started their season off on the right foot with strong results in both singles and doubles.
– It was good for us to come out and play a few games. We have some girls on our team that haven’t really been in a competitive situation since May, so it was important for us to come out and see some competition outside,” said head coach Jamie Ashworth. “I thought we handled ourselves, for the most part, pretty well … I think we’re doing things the right way and heading in the right direction.”
After a disappointing postseason in the spring, the team returned to the courts with some new faces. Yu, a recent transfer from Stanford, proved to be a valuable addition to the team, dominating the scoreboard with two singles and three doubles wins. The Blue Devil opened the tournament on Friday with a win against Penn State’s Olivia Dorner (6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (8)).
Yu is hot on the heels of two singles titles, winning both the ITA National Summer Championships and the ITA Summer Masters Series before the start of the season. The Mason, Ohio native has also proven to be a reliable doubles player, teaming with Emma Jackson to handily defeat the teams of Penn State (6-2) and Florida (6-4) this weekend.
Freshmen Ava Krug and Irina Balus made their debuts this weekend and delivered promising results in high-pressure situations. Krug earned a close victory Saturday against Purdue’s Kathryn Wilson (4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7)), coming back from a shaky first set. The Sarasota, Fla., native followed that up with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory Sunday against Ulyana Romanova of Old Dominion. Fellow rookie Balus also performed well this weekend, earning a 6-2, 7-5 win against Penn State’s Jelena Vico on Friday. Despite some understandable nerves, both players were able to come home with wins they can build on in the coming months.
“What we’re trying to do is prepare for the spring and get them in that situation where they have teammates playing on their side and supporting each other,” Ashworth said.
Although not a newcomer, senior Ellie Coleman went undefeated in singles after sitting out last season with an injury. More determined than ever, Coleman powered through Old Dominion’s Victoria Matasova with relentless rebounding and consistency from the baseline (6-1, 6-0). The Midland, Mich., native won her previous matches this weekend in similar fashion, putting pressure on her opponents early to take both in straight sets. As a senior on a relatively young team, Coleman has emerged as a leader and role model for his teammates.
“[Coleman] plays such an important role on our team, both singles and doubles… It was great for her, for her own sake, to be back on the court playing,” Ashworth said. “She’s put in a lot of time and we’ll have a successful year – she’s going to be a big part of it.”
However, the weekend was not without losses for the Blue Devils. Junior Katie Codd suffered a 6-2, 6-1 loss to Old Dominion’s Lidiia Rasskouskaya on Sunday, and she was visibly frustrated after several double faults and unforced errors.
“I think there were definitely some nerves, but nerves are good, so we definitely talk about that as well,” Ashworth said. “I think it was important that we get a few games in and get some rust and not play out of the way and get ready for next week.”
Duke will stay in North Carolina next weekend for the ITA All-American Championship in Cary, a qualifying event for the NCAA Individual Championship in late November.
“I think we competed well — we got some good wins, a lot of games,” Ashworth said. “Hopefully across the board we can build on that when we start that tournament next week.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
#Duke #womens #tennis #shows #strong #rainy #Kitty #Harrison #Invitational