The Wake Forest women’s tennis team fell to three ranked foes in the last week. In defeat, the Demon Deacons showed potential, competing with the NCAA’s best.
Howard Graves/Old Gold & Black
On Feb. 27, the Lady Deacs opened ACC play against No. 1 in the nation North Carolina. The Tar Heels lived up to their top ranking with a 7-0 sweep. Though the first-time doubles pair of freshman Kasey Gardiner and freshman Xue Zhang pulled off a tremendous 8-5 upset in first doubles. Gardiner usually plays with senior Kathryn Talbert, who sat out the match due to injury. UNC won second and third doubles 8-2 and 8-3, respectively.
In singles, the Tar Heels boasted three players ranked in the top 32 and five ranked players overall. Meanwhile the Deacs started freshman Gardiner, Zhang and freshman Andrea Retolaza at their top three singles positions. Against elite competition, the Deacs battled.
Without Talbert, Gardiner assumed No. 1 singles and performed admirably in a 6-2, 7-5 loss. Zhang was narrowly defeated 7-5, 6-4, while Retolaza lost 6-0, 6-2. Also, sophomore Karen Forman lost a tight straight-set affair 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4 singles.
On March 2, the Deacs faced No. 45 NC State. The Wolfpack swept doubles, including a close 8-7 win over Talbert and Gardiner.
The Wolfpack were off to an early 3-0 lead with victories at No. 2 and No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-2 against Kasey Gardiner and 6-2, 6-4 versus Andrea Retolaza, respectively. Reassuming her first singles spot, Kathryn Talbert reeled in an upset 7-5, 6-4 over No. 52 Joelle Kissell. The Deacs needed to defeat their in-state rivals.
Both Karen Forman at No. 4 and Brigita Bercyte at No. 6 competed in straight set defeats. Forman lost 6-4, 7-6 (4), clinching the Wolfpack’s win. Bercyte was overpowered in a grueling first set, 7-6 (2), 6-1.
The only undecided match was Xue Zhang at No. 3. After losing the first set 7-5, she changed the momentum, taking the second set 6-3. In a super tiebreaker, Zhang came up dominant due to her superior endurance, winning 10-1. In a 5-2 defeat, the Deacs proved they can contend with top-tier ACC competition.
On March 3, Wake Forest squared off against No. 25 William & Mary. The Tribe’s strong doubles squads– led by the No. 2 team in the nation– captured the doubles point.
In singles, No. 4 Forman was off the court first in a 6-1, 6-0 defeat. But the Deacs showed signs of promise. Talbert blasted past her opponent 7-5, 6-2 at first singles.
At No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, Gardiner and Zhang each went three sets. Gardiner claimed the first set 6-4 but ran out of gas, losing the next two 6-1, 6-0. Meanwhile, Zhang eked out a first set tiebreaker 7-3, but relinquished the final two sets 6-0, 6-4.
At sixth singles, Berycte suffered a 6-4, 6-2 defeat.
Finally at fifth singles, Retolaza traded punches with her consistent opponent, winning the first set 7-6 (3). On serve late in the second set, the freshman was broken in route to a narrow 7-5 loss. But in the decisive super-tiebreaker, the Spaniard came up clutch, with a punishing 10-6 victory.
The Deacs dropped another close 5-2 tilt. Had they won all three three-set matches, Wake Forest would have come away with the upset.
“Today was a fantastic effort against one of the better teams in the country. We’ve been a little inconsistent; we do need to play better doubles, because winning that first point would make a huge difference. We got two great wins out of Kathryn and Andrea today, and I think that shows who we are capable of playing against,” head coach Jeff Wyshner stated.
Wake Forest dropped to 1-9 on the season, capping off eight straight home losses. The Lady Deacs travel to Tampa to face South Florida next Sunday, the first of seven straight away matches. Their next home match is April 13 against Maryland.