Hamilton Clinches at No. 2 Singles; Six Teammates Contribute Wins
PHILADELPHIA – The Yale women's tennis team got its 2015 Ivy League season off to the best possible start on Friday, downing Penn without the loss of a point. Playing at Penn's Hecht Tennis Center, the Bulldogs were undaunted as the visitors and swept the Quakers to record a 7-0 triumph.
Yale's No. 1 doubles team of junior Madeleine Hamilton and classmate Ree Ree Li led the way for the Bulldogs, defeating the top Penn duo of Augustina Eskenazi and Sonya Latycheva 8-3. At No. 3 doubles, freshman Carol Finke and sophomore Sherry Li overcame Lina Qostal and Luba Vazhenina 8-6 to secure the doubles point for Yale.
Armed with the advantage, the Bulldogs still had to battle hard to fend off stern competition from the Quakers. Sherry Li closed out a tough second set to complete a 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 5 singles. Freshman Valerie Shklover, playing at No. 6 singles, showed her mental fortitude by besting Alexandra Ion 6-1, 6-1 in a match that involved several long deuce games. Though Yale was on the verge of victory with a 3-0 lead, the remaining four singles matches were very competitive and required Yale's players to produce their best tennis.
Ultimately, Hamilton used her experience to clinch the Bulldog triumph with a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Kana Daniel. In the other three singles matches, the Bulldogs managed to come out on top each time. Junior Courtney Amos fended off a comeback from Qostal to post a 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 win. Senior captain Hanna Yu recorded a three-set win over Eskenazi, while Ree Ree Li rounded out the sweep with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win at No. 3 singles.
Yale assistant coach Matej Zlatkovic commented, "The players came out strong and dealt well with the pressure. They fought hard and played smart at key moments. I am proud of the way we opened the Ivy League season."
The Bulldogs will return to the court in less than 24 hours to take on No. 56 Princeton in a second consecutive encounter on away turf. The match will begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Report by Robert Batista '15, Yale Sports Publicity
