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In the decisive No. 6 singles match, Polina Kozyreva’s running volley attempt at center court didn’t clear the net. Teammates sprinted over to hug Kentucky’s Fiona Arrese, celebrating the narrow, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory that ended Syracuse’s season in the first round of the NCAA championship on Friday.

No. 42 Syracuse (8-12, 5-8 Atlantic Coast) was defeated by No. 26 Kentucky (16-8, 6-7 Southeastern Conference) 4-3 at the Hellman Tennis Complex in Berkeley, California. The Wildcats will advance to play No. 16 California in the second round. The tournament appearance marked SU’s fourth in program history following a 5-0 loss in the first round of the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest. Syracuse’s Natalie Novotna and Viktoriya Kanapatskaya upset the No. 1 doubles pairing in the nation, but SU’s other two pairs lost their respective matches.

When the Orange have lost the doubles point this season, they’ve lost 11 of their matches. This trend continued against Kentucky, as SU was ultimately unable to mount a successful comeback in singles play despite victories from the No. 11 Kanapatskaya, Novotna and Miranda Ramirez.

Head coach Younes Limam fielded his standard doubles lineup led by No. 38 Kanapatskaya and Novotna. The pair Arrese and Akvilė Paražinskaitė just suffered their third loss of the season in a 6-3 upset victory, but Sonya Treshcheva and Kozyreva quickly lost 2-6 at No. 2 doubles.

Throughout the set, Treshcheva had difficulty getting her initial serve to land in-bounds, giving the Wildcats freedom to build rhythm in rallies. Carla Girbau and Anastasia Tcachenko remained clinical throughout, and the Syracuse pair conceded numerous opportunities where to the Wildcats smashed the ball from lobs. Treshcheva and Kozyreva never got a foothold in the match.

At No. 3 doubles, Syracuse’s No. 78 Ramirez and Guzal Yusupova managed two match points when down to 3-5. But their  comeback attempt was halted in Kentucky’s next service game, as Lesedi Jacobs and Elizabeth Stevens won 6-4 to secure the doubles point.

Yusupova fell first at No. 2 singles, losing to Jacobs by the same scoreline in both sets, 3-6, 3-6. The SU graduate student matched Jacobs’ intensity for the early stages in both the first and second set, but Jacobs eventually pulled away in both with her dominant serve. Yusupova’s defeat put the Orange into a 0-2 hole, meaning that four of the five remaining singles matches needed to go in Syracuse’s favor. 

The Orange did take a 3-2 overall lead, but Zeynep Erman and Kozyreva lost at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. 

No. 11 Kanapatskaya — who was recently named to the All-ACC First Team — defeated No. 28 Paražinskaitė in straight sets at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-3. Kanapatskaya trailed 4-5 in the first set before rallying to win the next three straight games to take the set. She used the momentum to take a 3-0 lead in the ensuing set before finishing Paražinskaitė off.  

Novotna cruised through her first set at No. 3 singles before trading game-for-game with Carlota Molina in the second. Molina nearly forced a third set but double-faulted three times in the following game. Novotna took a 5-1 lead during the tiebreaker, and Molina double-faulted once more on match point. 

Ramirez defeated Stevens at No. 4 singles, winning a first-set tiebreaker. Ramirez capped off the tiebreaker with a second serve ace, yelling “Come on!” with her fist clenched in the air as she walked off the court to her bench. She relied on her strong, one-handed backhand to consistently place shots near the backline.

Girbau defeated Erman at No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-3, as her crosscourt forehands were too powerful for Erman. Kozyreva was the Orange’s last lifeline, but Arrese ultimately outlasted the SU player. Kozyreva dictated points with her forehand throughout the match, but inconsistent backhand shots proved too costly. Arrese’s forceful serve never let up, and SU will travel home after the first round of the tournament.

Published on May 7, 2021 at 7:08 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu