Lions Open Ivy League Play With Win At Cornell

Saturday, March 25

Ithaca, N.Y.

12:00 PM

Columbia University

Cornell

3/25/2023 4:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Garret Sulak

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Columbia women's tennis team got Ivy League play started with a 5-2 win on the road at Cornell on Saturday afternoon. The Lions improve to 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the Ivy League.

"I am so happy to leave Ithaca with a win," Women's Tennis Head Coach Ilene Weintraub said. "It is always challenging to play on the road during Ivy season, but our women got the job done. We have been focusing on our doubles play weekly and it proved to be helpful today to get that early lead. In singles, we had some heroic performances from the bottom of the lineup. We look forward to hosting Princeton next for our first Ivy match in our new facility."

Columbia got the match started by winning the double point. The duo of Anna Zhang and Sophia Wang posted a 6-4 win over Lauren Stein and Emma Baker in the No. 1 doubles. Winta Tewolde and Michelle Xu clinched the doubles point for the Lions with a 6-1 win against Lan Mi and Gia Graziano in the No. 3 doubles. Rachele Rimondini and Shivani Amineni were tied, 5-5 with Alexandra Savu and Fatima El Ashram when the doubles point was clinched, so the match went unfinished.

Tewolde, Rimondini, Amineni and Clarine Lerby earned win in singles play to polish off the 5-2 Ivy League opening win for the Lions. Zhang and Wang were defeated on the top two courts for Cornell's two wins of the day.

In the No. 3 singles, Tewolde took a two-set 7-6(4), 6-2 win over Baker. Rimondini earned a three-set, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory against Savu in the No. 4 singles. Amineni took a 6-3, 7-6(7) win against El Ashram in the No. 5 singles. Lerby posted a quick 6-2, 6-0 win over Graziano in the No. 6 singles.

Zhang fell in a 3-6, 5-7 loss to Cornell's Mi in the No. 1 singles. Wang dropped a 3-6, 3-6 match to Stein in the No. 2 singles.

UP NEXT

The Lions have a break before returning home to host No. 46 Princeton on Friday, April 7 at the Columbia Tennis Center.

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