Women’s tennis showcases doubles prowess at Princeton Invitational

The Princeton women’s tennis team completed its first tournament of the season over the weekend at the Princeton Invitational. Overall, the Tigers went 11-3 in doubles and 14-9 in singles matches against players from Temple University and Cornell.

Princeton started strong on Friday, winning 6 of 6 doubles contests and 5 of 8 singles contests. The younger half of the roster stole the show on the first day, as sophomore Nicole Kalhorn and freshmen Gabriella Pollner and Clare McKee each won one singles and two doubles matchups. Playing eight-game pro-sets, Kalhorn and Pollner defeated Temple players 8-4, and McKee and sophomore Catalina Vives beat Temple 8-5. Pollner and Vives won their match against Cornell 8-6. Freshman Tiffany Chen and senior Sivan Krems earned a decisive 8-3 victory against a Temple duo.

In Day 1 singles, Kalhorn, Chen, and Pollner each won in straight sets against their respective opponents. Junior Sara Goodwin defeated Cornell’s Allegra Hanlon 6-1, 6-2. Krems lost to Priyanka Shah of Cornell 6-3, 6-4, and junior Caroline Joyce and Vives each lost their singles matches against Temple.

On Saturday, Princeton went 5-3 in doubles and 6-3 in singles. Once again, rookies played a key role in securing victories in doubles and singles. The teams of Kalhorn/Pollner, Joyce/McKee, and Chen/Krems all earned decisive victories in doubles. The all-freshman duo of McKee and Pollner crushed Cornell 8-1.

In singles, Krems and Joyce both lost tight three-set matches. Krems, playing Alexandra D’Ascenzo of Cornell, won the first set 6-4 and then lost the next two 5-7, 3-6 in a hard-fought battle that lasted three and a half hours. In spite of the score line, the grueling match left Krems feeling confident.

“I felt I played well in both singles matches though they weren’t the outcomes I was hoping for,” Krems said.

Joyce, playing a Temple player, won her first set as well, but lost a hold of the match after losing the second 4-6. The three freshmen —Chen, Pollner, and McKee —won their singles contests in straight sets.

The third day showcased Princeton and Cornell players going head-to-head in six singles matches, with each school taking three singles wins. Goodwin, Vives, and Kalhorn won their matches in straight sets. McKee and Joyce lost their matches in straight sets. In a tight battle, Chen won the first set against Mariko Iinuma in a tiebreak. Iinuma fought back to take the second and force the set to a decisive 10-point tiebreak. Chen lost by six points in the tiebreak.

“Overall, this weekend showcased our depth, talent, and different styles of play,” Krems, who won three of her four doubles contests, said.

“It was nice to get a preview of Cornell’s talent, but so many things can and will change from now until the beginning of the Ivy League season. For now, we’ll just get back on the courts and take what we need to build on from this past weekend,” Krems continued.

Up next for the women’s tennis team is the North Carolina State Invitational in Raleigh this coming weekend.