Polina Kozyreva and Miyuka Kimoto were up 5-3 against Notre Dame’s Page Freeman and Maria Olivia Castedo when Kozyreva and Freeman got locked in a long rally, sending forehands back and forth to each other.

On the match point, Castedo finally stepped in for a backhand. Kozyreva reached for the ball, but she was unable to get to it and it sprang upwards over Kimoto. She leapt up for an overhead shot, scraping the bottom of the ball just enough to send it onto Notre Dame’s side before dribbling out of bounds.

Kimoto ran back to congratulate Kozyreva on their victory over the No. 31 double tandem in the nation, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. But the pair’s win was only one of two Syracuse secured on Sunday against Notre Dame. Coming off just their second Atlantic Coast Conference win against Louisville on Friday, the Orange had another solid showing by winning four of their six total matches, but injuries and forfeits decimated SU’s chances of winning. The Orange lost the match 4-3 after forfeiting a doubles match as well as two singles matches.

Kozyreva and Kimoto quickly shifted focus to the No. 2 doubles match featuring Shiori Ito and Sofya Treshcheva, which SU would have to win to earn the doubles point.

Treshcheva was treated with a lower body injury early in the match as she limped to the sideline. She returned to the match with a protective knee-length sock on her right foot minutes later, and hobbling all over the court, Treshcheva was responsible for the swing that won SU the doubles point.

“She showed a lot of character today,” head coach Younes Limam said. “We had her play the weaker (Notre Dame) player at the net because Sofya was limited, we just had to be strategic and she did a great job adjusting.”

Treshcheva’s injury rendered her unable to play a singles match, resulting in another forfeit. And No. 1 singles player Viktoriya Kanapatskaya was inactive once again for Syracuse after missing Friday’s game as well. Both her singles and doubles matches were forfeited.

This made the score 2-1 Notre Dame before singles even started. “We are giving away two points without hitting a tennis ball, so that’s a tough hill to climb,” Limam said.

In the No. 3 singles spot, Ines Fonte squeaked out a victory in a super tiebreaker against sophomore Yashna Yellayi 5-7, 6-2, 10-5. Fonte looked fresh after being the only SU player not to play doubles. However, she squandered a late 5-3 lead in the first set, losing 7-5.

She came back in the second with consistency, extending rallies until Yellayi made a mistake. Fonte made quick work of the second set, winning 6-2 to unlock the super tiebreaker.

Fonte continued to return balls with agility and accuracy, allowing Yellayi’s fatigue to help her in the 10-5 victory, giving Syracuse their first singles point.

“The key for her is just staying in it,” Limam said. “It sounds cliche but it’s very hard to do when your emotions are high and your stamina is low. She just stayed focused on the rally in front of her.”

Replacing Kanapatskaya in the No. 1 singles spot was Kimoto, who struggled against Freeman, the 90th-ranked singles player nationally, according to the ITA.

Kimoto lost the first set quickly after being overpowered by Freeman’s forehand and precision, keeping Kimoto on the run throughout. In the second set, Kimoto came out with more aggressiveness, jumping to an early 2-1 lead. However, Freeman went on a 5-0 run to end the set, and Kimoto lost both by a score of 6-2.

In the No. 2 singles spot, Ito followed up her doubles performance with a super tiebreaker victory. She has been the last player on the court in several of Syracuse’s matches this season because of her patient playstyle.

Ito went on a 4-1 run to win the first set 6-4 after trailing early. She lost the second set 4-6 as her range diminished and balls started to fly long. In the super tiebreaker though, Ito centered herself and dominated, winning 10-5.

Kozyreva moved up a spot to No. 2 because of the injuries, but like Kimoto, she lost both sets 6-2 to sophomore Julia Andreach. Kozyreva kept points close in the first set, but her fatigue eventually caught up with her.

“We had our backs against the wall on Friday and today and we responded,” Limam said. “All you can do is control what you can and I couldn’t be prouder of the fight in our team.”

Published on April 3, 2022 at 5:47 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu