Syracuse opens season with 7-0 sweep of Cornell
Each of Syracuse’s six singles participants fell behind in their second set but prevailed, while the Orange swept in doubles play. Keenan Sawada | Contributing Photographer
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Syracuse opened its 2026 season against Cornell Saturday, beginning its pursuit of a winning record for the first time since the 2023 campaign. That season — led by an entirely different roster — still finished 10-11 despite dropping its final nine matches.
After Saturday’s opener, the Orange are already showing signs they could finally clear that hurdle.
Syracuse (1-0, Atlantic Coast) swept Cornell (0-1, Ivy) 7-0 at the Drumlins Country Club, winning all nine of its matches. Serafima Shastova was SU’s lone player to drop a set during the day, while the Orange swept in all three of their doubles matches.
Following a season in which the Orange struggled in doubles, their clean sweep was an encouraging sign for the unit this year. In the No. 1 doubles match, Nelly Knezkova and Anastasia Sysoeva continued their dominant run from the fall, downing Cornell’s top pairing of Martina Marcia and Victoria Zhao 6-1.
“They built up a lot of confidence in the fall.” Syracuse head coach Younes Limam said. “It’s a long season, but barring injury, I think that we will keep that pairing together.”
The No. 2 pairing of Serafima Shastova and Monika Wojcik fared similarly, dominating the Big Red’s star freshmen Dylan Gelber and Emma Baker. The Orange prevailed 6-2.
Additionally, Miami transfer Leena Bennetto made her Syracuse debut alongside Constance Levivier in a back-and-forth match that ended 6-4. Levivier clinched the game with a deft forehand that scurried out of bounds before Cornell could react.
“We work a lot on the doubles,” Limam said. “We are carrying the momentum we had in the fall, and adding a few players to the team is always helpful to help figure out combinations.
The Orange led 1-0 after the doubles matches, entering the singles slate in need of three wins.
Sophomore Haram Kim leaned Syracuse in the right direction, beating Cornell’s Martina Marcia (6-1, 6-3) in two sets.
SU’s other sophomore, Wojcik, won her match in two sets as well, opening with a 6-2 first-set win. Despite inching closer to victory, Wojcik fell behind 3-1 in the second set but battled back to force a deuce point against Cornell’s Andrea Martinez De Los Rios.
Slowly but surely, Wojcik clawed back into the match. She ended the set with a 7-5 win over Martinez De Los Rios for the Orange’s second singles victory.
Each of Syracuse’s six singles participants fell behind at some point during their second sets but battled back, never trailing in a match.
“We showed a lot of resilience today. Not going into the third set was huge for us, with back-to-back matches this weekend,” Limam said.
Bennetto also impressed in her singles debut, beating Emma Baker 6-3, 7-6. Like her teammates, Bennetto fell behind 3-1 during her second set but fought back to earn the win.
Perhaps the most dramatic match of the day was the singles contest between Knezkova and Gelber. After taking the first set 6-4, Knezkova lost the first four points of the second set. However, the Czech Republic native clawed all the way back and ended up winning the match from a deuce point in 7-6 fashion.
Saturday displayed a fair share of ups and downs, but Syracuse’s ability to overcome adversity may be a trait that defines its season.
