Syracuse Tennis Battles Through a Marathon Weekend Splitting a Pair of Matches
By Drew Albaugh | @Drew_Albaugh
One win, one loss, and nearly eight hours of on-court action made for one of the most exciting weekends in recent memory for Syracuse tennis.
The hectic stretch began on Friday with a back-and-forth grudge match between Syracuse (10-3, 1-3 in ACC) and Miami (2-4, 1-0 in ACC). The last time the Hurricanes visited Drumlins two years ago, there were fireworks in the 315. The Orange defeated the Hurricanes 4-3 after a controversial overruling by the head umpire awarded Syracuse the deciding point. Miami’s Alexa Knoll was on the wrong side of that call; the current senior went on to win the NCAA singles championship the following year. This season, she returned to Drumlins determined. Knoll helped Miami secure a narrow 2-1 victory in doubles play and then swept SU’s No. 1, Miyuka Kimoto, 6-0, 7-5. In the second set, the U.S. Open wildcard player was down 5-0 before rallying to win seven straight games.
But that was just the beginning. Down 3-2, Syracuse was on the brink of defeat, but senior Shiori Ito and junior Anastasia Sysoeva had other plans. Ito was down in the second set before rallying to force a third. Sysoeva, after taking the first set, was blown out in the second, and it appeared she was headed for the same fate in the decisive frame—until something changed.
“I looked over at Shiori next to me and how much she was fighting, and I told myself I can’t let this get away,” Sysoeva said.
She trailed by two games in the third set before rallying to win 7-5. After Sysoeva’s comeback, it all came down to Ito. The veteran pushed the match to a tiebreaker, but when it mattered most, she was unable to close it out, losing the tiebreaker, the match, and ultimately the dual. After the heartbreaking four-hour loss, head coach Younes Limam declined to comment.
Heading into the next match against Florida State (10-2, 0-1 in ACC), Syracuse was motivated to dominate, and it was immediately apparent. The Orange claimed the doubles point 2-0 in dominant fashion. SU’s Constance Levivier made her first doubles appearance in over a month and showcased her strength, helping Sysoeva’s tired legs to victory.
In singles play, however, the Orange did not roll past the Seminoles as easily. Florida State led 3-2, highlighted by another loss for Kimoto. This time, Syracuse relied on sophomore Nelly Knezkova and, once again, senior Shiori Ito. But as the saying goes, history repeats itself, and that was certainly the case for Ito. The Japan native fell in a third set, 6-4, in a heartbreaking back-and-forth contest.
After Ito’s loss, everything came down to Knezkova. After nearly three hours of play, the sophomore was on the edge of defeat, down 5-4, before rallying to win 7-6 in a tiebreaker. Having played over six hours of tennis across both matches, Knezkova was clearly laboring in the third set, tied at 3-3 and down 40-15.
“I felt like I was carrying another person on my back, but I can’t let my opponent see that,” Knezkova said after the match.
Despite her exhaustion, Knezkova never showed weakness. Down 40-15, she rallied to win three straight points and took the game to go up 4-3. The sophomore went on to win every remaining game, securing both the match and the dual with a 6-3 victory. After the contest, Limam expressed pride in his team.
“Especially after Friday, I am super pleased with how our team and Nelly fought today,” Limam said.
The victory marked Syracuse’s first ACC win of the season. Next up, the Orange hit the road—or rather, the skies—to California to take on Stanford and Cal. First serve is Friday at 4 PM.
