Syracuse hands Buffalo’s Esmee Andresen 1st loss of season in 6-1 win
Syracuse tennis defeated Buffalo's Esmee Andresen in No. 1 singles and doubles to hand the Bulls’ star her first loss of the season. / The Daily Orange
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Buffalo’s Esmee Andresen only lost one match all season coming into Thursday. However, her luck ran out against the Orange, as she fell in both doubles and singles.
In SU’s (4-3, Atlantic Coast) 6-1 win over Buffalo (9-1, Mid-American) Thursday, Andresen fell at the hands of the Orange’s Serafima Shastova in singles (6-4, 6-3) and was bageled in one completed set at No. 1 doubles alongside her partner Maria Glowacka against Syracuse’s Monika Wojcik and Shastova.
Andresen and Glowacka had been paired together at No. 1 doubles for the entirety of the season thus far. Together, they were undefeated and had only dropped three games.
With the Orange missing star Anastasia Sysoeva for the second time in three matches, there was an opportunity for the pair to steal a win.
Shastova and Wojcik slammed the door shut on any chance for an upset. They dominated the Buffalo pairing, winning 6-0 in 19 minutes.
Shastova and Wojcik exploited Andresen’s backhand. Up 30-love in the second game of the set, Shastova sliced a soft shot across the net which was unplayable.
The pair applied pressure early and didn’t let up, never giving Andresen and Glowacka a chance to get themselves in the match.
“(I’m) extremely proud of them (Shastova and Wojcik).” SU head coach Younes Limam said postgame. “We talked a lot about playing with a sense of urgency … it was huge for us to get on the scoreboard.”
Andresen, a graduate student from the Netherlands, made an immediate impact when she joined the Buffalo squad in 2023. Her success carried over to last season. She was named to the All-MAC first team and led the Bulls to a Cinderella run in the MAC Tournament, ending with a championship victory.
This season, she’s off to a similar start. She has been just as dominant in singles matches as she has in doubles. She’s lost only one set through five matches.
But similarly to doubles, she ran into trouble against Shastova at No. 1 singles.
Shastova came out of the gates hot, taking a 3-0 first-set lead.
However, Andresen responded, tying the set 3-3. Shastova wasn’t fazed. She regained control and won the set 6-4.
Andresen couldn’t compete with Shastova’s masterful play, getting beaten on a shot down the line to open the second set. The set ended 6-3 in favor of Shastova, deciding the match.
The result halted Andresen’s early-season momentum while boosting the Orange en route to their 6-1 victory.
“For her (Shastova), getting that W under her belt is extremely important in bouncing back from last Sunday,” Limam said.
