Syracuse falls to 1-4 in ACC play with 4-2 loss to Stanford
Syracuse tennis’ ACC woes continued Friday as it fell 4-2 to Stanford. The Orange were without Nelly Knezkova due to illness. Peter Radosh | Asst. Copy Editor
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When Stanford visited Syracuse Friday, it was a tale of two teams in desperate need of a win. The Orange had an opportunity to put their Atlantic Coast Conference woes behind them. Meanwhile, the Cardinal had a chance to snap their two-game losing streak.
Unfortunately for SU (5-7, 1-4 ACC), Stanford (7-6, 3-2 ACC) outlasted it in doubles and put it away in singles. Syracuse lost 4-2 for the second consecutive match, adding to their horrid start to ACC play.
It was clear prior to the match that things might not go the Orange’s way. Star junior Nelly Knezkova was ruled out due to illness, head coach Younes Limam said. Limam said Knezkova hadn’t been feeling well since Thursday or Friday and missed practice both days.
Knezkova and doubles partner Anastasia Sysoeva had played together for the bulk of the season and were ranked as high as No. 15 in national rankings this season. But with Knezkova sidelined, Limam had to switch things up.
Serafima Shastova and Monika Wojcik paired up at the top spot. Leena Bennetto and Constance Levivier played together at No. 2. Sysoeva was also given a new partner in Emma Scaldalai for the No. 3 doubles vacancy.
In the No. 1 match, Stanford’s Monika Ekstrand and Caroline Driscoll jumped out to an early lead. With the set tied at three games apiece, Shastova snuck a shot between Ekstrand and Driscoll to take a one-point lead in the seventh game. Then, SU won the final point, taking a 4-3 lead. The match continued to drag on in back-and-forth fashion with neither pair able to pull ahead.
In the ninth game, Wojcik chased a shot down the far right side of the court, returning a weak shot to the center of the net. As she sprinted back to the middle of the court, Wojcik’s shot was returned toward her. She hit an off-balance shot along the sideline to seize the point for the Orange.
Eventually, the Cardinal prevailed 7-6 despite Wojcik and Shastova’s strong showing.
In the No. 2 doubles match, Stanford’s Alyssa Ahn and Tianmei Wang made quick work of Levivier and Bennetto. After winning the first game, Syracuse lost a remarkable six straight to give the Cardinal the win.
No. 3 doubles was much more competitive. Scaldalai and Sysoeva won the first two games until Stanford’s Sein Myoung and Valerie Glozman stormed back, tying the match at 2-2. The pairs battled until Stanford took the win — and the doubles point — 7-5.
“I like the fact we were adaptable and adjustable, especially going with the doubles teams that haven’t played any matches up to this point,” Limam said. “They stepped up and really put us in a situation to try to get that double point.”
Knezkova’s absence was felt in singles as well. Without her, Haram Kim filled in at the No. 5 spot while Wojcik took over Knezkova’s usual No. 3 spot.
In the top singles match, Sysoeva got off to a solid start. But when tied with Ekstrand, Sysoeva slowly let the first set slip from her grasp. She came out of the break on a tear, winning three straight games, yet Ekstrand began to claw her way back into the second set.
Ekstrand tied Sysoeva at 3-3, then took the lead. Sysoeva wasn’t deterred. She won a fourth game before taking a 5-4 lead on a controversial call that led Ekstrand to plead with the umpire to no avail.
It didn’t matter. Ekstrand won the match 7-5, sealing Stanford’s victory.
In No. 2 singles, Shastova went the distance against Ahn. After losing the first set 6-4, Shastova dominated the second set. She won six straight games and forced a third set. In the third set, Shastova led 2-1 before the match was left unfinished after Stanford had already clinched the winning point.
In No. 3 singles, Wojcik continued her stellar sophomore campaign. She took a commanding 4-1 lead in the first set and fought off a comeback attempt by Driscoll, winning 7-5. In the second set, she was outstanding, winning 6-1 and clinching her eighth win of the season.
In the No. 4 and No. 5 matches, Syracuse didn’t stand much of a chance. Bennetto was dispatched in quick fashion, losing in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in No. 4. In the No. 5 match, Kim battled back from a steep deficit. She won four straight points but still dropped the first set 7-5. In the second set, she struggled to gain momentum and lost 6-0.
A positive finally showed up for SU in the No. 6 slot. Scaldalai put together her best match of the season, starting with a 6-4 first-set win. In the second set, she put away Emma Sun with ease, winning five straight sets. Scaldalai only gave up one point en route to an easy second-set victory. She won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.
“Emma has been doing a lot of growth and maturing as a tennis player,” Limam said. “The biggest thing for her is to play smart tennis.”
