Anna 
Duke’s women’s tennis team started ACC conference play with a bang, earning two impressive victories against Boston College and Syracuse. The Blue Devils showed their strength, securing a 4-0 win over Boston College and a 4-1 victory against Syracuse. They dominated both matches, claiming the doubles point and following it up with strong singles performances.
Friday vs. Boston College
The Blue Devils (8-2, 2-0 ACC) made history with their 21st win against Boston College. Duke claimed the doubles point, winning 2 out of 3 matches. Senior Ellie Coleman and freshman Irina Balus earned a 6-3 victory, while senior Emma Jackson and sophomore Eleana Yu secured a 6-2 win, giving the team momentum heading into singles.
Coach Ashworth praised the team’s improvements in doubles, saying, “We did a good job of continuing some of the success we’ve had in doubles, because we struggled with that earlier in the year.”
Duke carried that momentum into singles play, where all key players won in straight sets. Jackson dominated her match with a 6-2, 6-0 victory, while freshman Ava Krug impressed in her ACC singles debut with a 6-4, 6-2 win. Yu, a transfer from Stanford, clinched the third and final win with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Sunday vs. Syracuse
The Blue Devils faced a more challenging match against Syracuse, but still came away with a victory. While they secured the doubles point, they were tested in several areas. The No. 11-ranked doubles team of Coleman and Balus lost 6-3 to Syracuse’s Nelly Knezkova and Miyuka Kimoto, while Balus also fell in singles 7-5, 6-3 to Kimoto on the No. 1 court.
Coach Ashworth acknowledged the challenge, saying, “Everybody in the country has a good No. 1 player, so you have to expect a battle.”
Syracuse picked up wins on courts No. 3 and No. 5, but Jackson and Coleman came through with straight-set victories. Coleman clinched the match for Duke with a 6-4, 6-4 win, while Krug added a solid 6-3, 6-3 win in No. 6 singles to seal the deal.
Krug’s performance did not go unnoticed. “I thought Krug did a great job coming in and winning both of her matches,” Ashworth said.
Freshman Liv Hovde also made an impact, playing in both doubles and singles. Hovde won her first set in singles 6-4 but lost the second set in an unfinished match. Despite this, Ashworth praised Hovde’s contribution to the team, saying, “She adds a lot of personality and depth to our team.”
With two dominant wins to start conference play, Duke is now 2-0 in the ACC and 8-2 overall. The Blue Devils will have a two-week break before returning to action against Georgia Tech on the road.
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