Syracuse’s Season Ends with a Second Round Loss to No. 3 Stanford

By Brad Klein

CitrusTV Tennis Beat Reporter

STANFORD, CA – Syracuse’s 2019 campaign was a rollercoaster ride. The Orange achieved their first-ever ITA National Indoor Championship while also seeing woes on the doubles court. Nevertheless, this season will be defined by the postseason: the program’s third NCAA tournament birth and second victory in the big dance.

But, their run came to a sudden halt on Sunday when No. 35 Syracuse (14-13, 5-9 Atlantic Coast) suffered a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Stanford (23-1, 10-0 PAC 12).

Head Coach Younes Limam made an adjustment to the doubles lineup despite winning the point previously against Wisconsin. The No. 81 pair of Sofya Golubovskaya and Sonya Trescheva was separated after a 6-1 victory in the opening round. Instead, Golubovskaya played alongside Maria Tritou. This makeshift pair was just 1-2 in three finished matches together this season, so Stanford’s No. 29 Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon had their number in a 6-1 win. The Cardinal’s number one pair, No. 19 Caroline Lampl and Kimberly Yee, clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 win against Syracuse’s No. 55 Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez.

No. 99 Ramirez’s struggles translated to the singles court as Stanford’s No. 66 Lampl defeated her 6-4, 6-3. Ramirez hasn’t beaten a top-100 opponent since early February, and Syracuse is just 2-6 in duals when Ramirez loses her singles match this season.

The Cardinal showed off their depth by assigning No. 44 Arbuthnott to the fourth singles court against Guzal Yusupova. Arbuthnott is the first ranked player SU has faced on the fourth court this year, and she walked away with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.

Unranked Golubovskaya ended her dual season strong with the lone point for Syracuse on the second singles court. She trounced No. 29 Melissa Lord 6-4, 6-2 in a huge upset. Her win on Sunday was her first win against a top-100 opponent after five prior matches.

No. 14 Gabriela Knutson lost her third consecutive singles match to No. 24 Michaela Gordon 6-3, 6-0. The senior has already earned her second consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA singles tournament on May 20 in Orlando, so her decorated career is not over yet. She is currently second on SU’s all-time wins list with 169.

bwklein@syr.edu | @BradKlein15