More of the same for Syracuse Tennis in a 4-2 loss to Clemson

By Drew Albaugh | @Drew_Albaugh

CLEMSON, S.C. — Syracuse (8-7) has not won an Atlantic Coast Conference match away from home in two seasons. That trend continued Sunday night as the Orange fell to Clemson (13-6) in a 4-2 defeat.

In doubles play, Syracuse immediately found itself at a disadvantage. The new No. 1 pairing of Nelly Knezkova and Shiori Ito fell 6-3, followed by the No. 3 duo of Monika Wojcik and Serafima Shastova, who also lost 6-3. With those results, the Tigers secured the doubles point. The Orange are undefeated when winning the doubles point but have struggled when falling behind early, now 1-6 when dropping the opening point.

Syracuse faced an uphill battle in singles play, but the Orange started strong. No. 2 Miyuka Kimoto defeated Amelie Smejkalova 6-3, 6-2 for her first win at the No. 2 spot after being swept against Georgia Tech.

The momentum continued as No. 6 Monika Wojcik swept Gaia Parravicini 6-3, 6-2. Wojcik’s one-handed backhand was a key factor, consistently forcing Parravicini deep and out of position.

However, that was the last bright spot for Syracuse. Artemis Aslanisvili evened the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 5 Ito. In the No. 1 matchup, Knezkova took the first set 7-5 against Sophia Hatton, but Hatton responded with dominant 6-0, 6-1 sets to put Clemson one point away from victory.

Moments later, the Tigers clinched the match as No. 3 Annabelle Davis defeated Shastova in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, handing Syracuse its third straight loss.

The Orange return home to Drumlins on April 4 to face Virginia Tech. Follow @Drew_Albaugh and @CitrusTVSports on X for game updates and coverage.