Duke’s Streak Ends in ACC Championship Semifinals
The Duke women’s tennis team faced a significant setback on Saturday, as their undefeated ACC season and impressive 16-match winning streak came to an abrupt end. In the semifinals of the ACC Championship, the top-seeded Blue Devils, currently ranked No. 4 nationally, were bested by No. 4-seed Virginia, who is ranked No. 7 nationally, with a final score of 4-2.
Bumpy Start for Duke
Despite playing just 30 minutes away at the Cary Tennis Park, Duke struggled to find its rhythm in what felt like an away match against a fierce opponent. Head coach Jamie Ashworth remarked, “For the first time in a while, I felt like we were playing an away match. I felt like they were on top of us. Honestly, Virginia was better emotionally than we were, and you’re not going to beat a team like that if you don’t have emotion.”
The match began with a shaky performance from the Blue Devils in doubles. On court one, the nationally-ranked doubles duo of Melodie Collard and Elaine Chervinsky swiftly defeated Duke’s Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman. Duke’s hopes rested on court two, where Shavit Kimchi and Ava Krug initially led 3-2 before Virginia took control and secured a 6-4 victory, capturing the crucial doubles point.
Turning Point in Singles
Duke entered singles with a chance to recover, having previously come back from dropping the doubles point in earlier matches this season, including a significant victory over then-No. 4 North Carolina. However, Virginia’s momentum proved difficult for Duke to counteract. Balus, ranked 18th nationally in singles, faced a tough challenge on court one, losing decisively to the 33rd-ranked Chervinsky by a score of 6-0, 6-2, which put the Cavaliers ahead 2-0.
“She got down early, and then you start to have some self-doubts creep in. And then at the same time, your opponent is playing big and is gaining confidence,” Ashworth noted regarding Balus’ performance. He emphasized the importance of regrouping in such situations, stating, “When you lose a first set like that quickly, you’ve got to figure out a way to regroup, slow the match down and control the tempo, and she just didn’t do a great job.”
Hope from Court Five
Amid the challenges, Kimchi emerged as a bright spot for Duke with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win on court five, trimming Virginia’s lead to 2-1. Duke captured the first set on both courts three and six, but Hovde on court one fell to No. 20 Sara Ziodato, losing 6-2, 6-2, putting Duke at a crucial disadvantage.
Virginia Secures the Match
Ultimately, despite Coleman battling through a third set on court six, the outcome hinged on Eleana Yu’s performance on court three. After a tiebreaker loss in the first set, Yu was unable to reset, and Virginia’s Martina Genis Salas sealed the match with a score of 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. With this win, Virginia advanced to the final.
Reflecting on the Match
After overcoming Georgia Tech with a score of 4-1 just hours earlier, Duke may have struggled to regain their focus and energy for the subsequent match against Virginia. “You can’t let self-doubt creep in, putting my opponent on the pedestal [and thinking] ‘Oh, they’re playing so well,’” Ashworth explained. He stressed the need to concentrate on each point individually and avoid the downward spiral of self-doubt.
This defeat marks yet another painful ACC Championship loss for Duke, who previously fell 4-0 to rivals North Carolina in the quarterfinals last year, and experienced a disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament earlier this year. Ashworth noted, “There’s people right on top of you. Yes, it’s down the street from Duke, and we had a lot of people here, but I think our intent as a team, we have to make it a home match in our heads. Be vocal and be loud and let the crowd feed off of us.”
Looking Ahead
Despite this setback, Duke’s season is not yet over as they prepare for the upcoming NCAA Tournament in two weeks. The Blue Devils now have an opportunity to regroup and recommit to their objectives heading into this crucial juncture of their season.
