W. Tennis Earns 4-3 Road Win over No. 31 Clemson

By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com

ANDERSON, S.C. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team edged No. 31 Clemson, 4-3, in thrilling fashion Sunday at the AU Tennis Center.

Miami (5-3, 2-0 ACC) dropped the doubles point and then took three straight singles matches, before the Tigers tied the score. The contest came down to a top-25 singles showdown that went to the Hurricanes, who won their 18th straight match against Clemson (5-6, 1-3 ACC) and moved to 30-4 in the all-time series.

“We competed well today. We are beginning to step up and play the big points on our terms in more and more spots,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Our depth down low definitely provided confidence for us at the top of our lineup. A win like this on the road is tough to get. I’m happy for this group.”

The Tigers jumped on top with a nice showing in doubles action. First, Ally Miller-Krasilnikov and Tate Schroeder topped senior Sinead Lohan and sophomore Dominika Paterova, 6-2.

Marie Leduc and Fernanda Navarro then clinched the doubles point for the Tigers by posting a 6-1 win over junior Ana Madcur and sophomore Estela Perez-Somarriba, ranked No. 33.

When play was halted, freshman Sofia Sewing, in her collegiate debut, and sophomore Ulyana Shirokova held a 5-3 edge on Constanza Gorches and Daniela Ruiz.

“It was nice to see Sewing dressed out and competing,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She will only get stronger as we move forward.”

Paterova quickly evened the score during singles competition, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 triumph against Ruiz.

Shirokova gave the Hurricanes the lead by defeating Gorches, 6-2, 6-3, and No. 116 Lohan upped the advantage to 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Navarro.

Sydney Riley ended Miami’s run to start singles play by edging No. 114 Madcur, 6-3, 6-4, and bringing the Tigers back within a point.

Moments later, Schroeder tied the score at three by completing a narrow 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Roldan.

All eyes then turned to the second-set tiebreaker on court one. After trailing both 2-4 and 3-5, in the second set, No. 23 Perez-Somarriba stormed back to grab a 6-5 lead on No. 21 Leduc. The Madrid native went on to win a 14-point tiebreaker to take the match, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6).

The triumph for Perez-Somarriba increased her spring record to 10-0, including 3-0 versus ranked opponents. With the win, she moved to 8-3 in her career against top-30 opponents.

Miami’s streak of 18 straight victories over Clemson extends back to 2001, one season before Yaroshuk-Tews’ first at the helm. The Tigers have been ranked in all of those matches, with Sunday being just the sixth time they were not in the top 25 and eighth not in the top 15.

Half of the 18 wins have come with a 4-3 final and this is the second year in a row Miami earned a triumph by that score after losing the doubles point.

The Hurricanes will resume play Friday with a doubleheader at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. Miami meets Longwood at 8 a.m., and then faces No. 23 Florida State at 6 p.m.

To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

RESULTS

Doubles Competition
1. Marie Leduc/Fernanda Navarro (CU) def. No. 33 Ana Madcur/Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM), 6-1
2. Ally Miller-Krasilnikov/Tate Schroeder (CU) def. Sinead Lohan/Dominika Paterova (UM), 6-2
3. Sofia Sewing/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) vs. Constanza Gorches/Daniela Ruiz (CU), 5-3, unf.

Singles Competition
1. No. 23 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. No. 21 Marie Leduc (CU), 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
2. No. 116 Sinead Lohan (UM) def. Fernanda Navarro (CU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Tate Schroeder (CU) def. Daniella Roldan (UM), 7-5, 6-4
4. Sydney Riley (CU) def. No. 114 Ana Madcur (UM), 6-3, 6-4
5. Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Constanza Gorches (CU), 6-2, 6-3
6. Dominika Paterova (UM) def. Daniela Ruiz (CU), 6-1, 6-0