Krishnamurthy takes William and Mary Tennis Invitational

Health and stamina are two top concerns for the Princeton women's tennis team this year.

The team proved it has both this past weekend as it blasted into the season — taking not only the William and Mary Tennis Invitational in Virginia but also Princeton's own Invitational by storm.

The Tigers clinched number one in the Ivy League two years ago, but were unable to repeat the triumph last year when a back injury forced their number one singles player, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, out of the lineup and allowed Penn to squeeze by with the title.

Despite being injured much of last year, Krishnamurthy was still good enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships last season, where she lost in the first round.

Now a junior, Krishnamurthy showed no signs of rust. Facing solid competition from across the country, second-seeded Krishnamurthy dropped only two sets in the tournament en route to defeating Debbie Larocque of Arizona in the final, 6-1, 6-3.

"It's a good sign for the team that she is healthy and playing well," said head coach Lousie Gengler.

While Krishnamurthy was winning the William and Mary Invitational, the rest of the team was displaying even more encouraging signs at the Princeton Invitational, which among other schools, included top-ranked Ivy rivals Cornell and Yale.

With Krishnamurphy competing in Va., senior co-captains Kristi Watson and Prya Bhupathi were able to play at the top of the lineup and certainly exploited the three years of experience tucked under their belts. Watson defeated Yale's No. 1 singles player Elizabeth Kaufman 7-6 (3), 7-5.

"I played really well," Watson said. "I was a lot more confident. I just realized it's my senior year and went out there as aggressively as I could."

Meanwhile Bhupathi crushed Cornell's top-ranked contender, Laura Leigh Tallent, 6-2, 6-1.

In a complete match against Cornell, all five Tigers won their matches. Watson, once again playing in the No. 1 singles match defeated Daniella DelPrete 7-6 (7-2), 6-1. Taking over the No. 2 spot from Bhupathi, junior Jackie Arcario stood out in addition to the senior leaders and defeated Suzanne Wright, 6-1, 6-2.

Even the two freshmen, Stephanie Berg and Kristen Carlan, both walked away with a win despite competing high in the lineup.

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In doubles competition, Princeton did not advance a team out of the first round.

With seven returning sophomores, Gengler has no doubt about the team's "good balance" of ages and abilities.

For the rest of the fall season, Gengler will focus on using that balance to find the best doubles combinations, a particular area of weakness coming out of last season.