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Miyuka Kimoto and Shiori Ito smiled at each other even after a miscommunication led to a rare lost point during their doubles match against Brown’s Julia Newman and Olivia Mariotti.

For the extent of Syracuse’s match against Brown, it seemed that no matter the outcome of each rally, the freshman tandem wore cheerful expressions, resulting in the doubles pair picking up a 6-3 win to start off the morning for SU.

But not everything was smooth for the Orange. Veteran duo Polina Kozyreva and Sofya Treshcheva fell to Ali Benedetto and Lindsey Hofflander after what originally started as a tight match gradually slipped from Syracuse’s grasp as Brown overcame a sloppy start to win the No. 1 doubles matchup 6-2.

That loss didn’t matter for SU, though, as Ito and Kimoto won their respective singles matches, in addition to their doubles victory, to lead Syracuse to a 5-2 win over Brown, giving the Orange their second straight win to open the season.

“I’m very pleased with how we took charge and how we were aggressive,” head coach Younes Limam said.

Both Kimoto and Ito were down big early in their singles matches, and while Kimoto won in straight sets, the freshman had to overcome being down four sets to one before storming back to win 6-4, 6-3. Ito also started slowly and was visibly frustrated, losing her opening set to Mariotti 6-3. But Ito rebounded well, taking the second set 6-1 before winning 6-0 in the final set.

“It’s when you have those tough moments that you have to be kind to yourself and reset,” Limam said. “So far, it’s been really enjoyable to see them compete because they miss a shot, they bounce back and immediately refocus.”

Syracuse’s success continued as Kozyreva defeated Ryan Peus in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. The junior displayed patience and poise en route to the convincing win in the No. 5 singles matchup. On court five, Ines Fonte and Viktoriya Kanapatskaya took on Britany Lau and Gabby Soliman, and their communication and agility helped the sophomore pair win 6-3.

Kozyreva’s victory was followed on court seven as Fonte cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win against Hofflander. Fonte, who also won comfortably in Syracuse’s season-opener against Army, confused her opponent with a wide array of drop shots and slices.

Toward the latter half of singles competition, Limam and the coaching staff made the decision to pull Treshcheva from her match against Soliman, resulting in Syracuse’s first singles loss of the day. Although Treshcheva managed to pull out a hard-fought 7-5 first set win against her freshman opponent, Syracuse had already clinched the match by then and decided the senior had earned some rest. Treshcheva has been dealing with arm injuries over the last few seasons, Limam said, and after speaking with the SU trainer, the coaches pulled her with a match against Penn State looming Sunday.

The day’s final game ended on a sour note for the Orange as Kanapatskaya fell to Lau in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Kanapatskaya, who finished No. 14 nationally in singles last year, couldn’t seem to find her groove, with her powerful hitting frequently foiled by the defensive-minded Lau.

“I think her strength is competitiveness. She hates to lose,” Limam said. “It was a tough day for her, but I’m sure she’ll bounce back tomorrow.”

Syracuse’s stellar play early on, however, provided the cushion it needed, overpowering Brown by a comfortable margin of 5-2.

“We had a great team effort and showed a great attitude in staying calm under pressure,” Limam said.

Published on January 22, 2022 at 7:47 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff