NEW YORK – Sunday's match came down to the No. 1 singles match where Anna Zhang grinded out a three-set victory to clinch Columbia's 4-3 win over No. 72 Harvard at the Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
 
The Lions finished the weekend 2-0 after defeating Dartmouth on Saturday and are now winners of three-straight Ivy League matches. Columbia improves to 10-7 overall this season with a 4-1 mark in Ivy League play.
 
"I am very happy for our players who have been committed to our goal of competing as consistently as we can for every Ivy match," Columbia Women's Tennis Head Coach Ilene Weintraub said. "Today it paid off in a big way to beat Harvard 4-3 on our home courts in front of a great crowd."
 
Harvard struck first to take the doubles point with wins in the No. 2 and 3 spots. Sophia Ho and Maxi Duncan took a 6-1 win over Rachele Rimondini and Shivani Amineni in the No. 2 doubles. Angel You and Charlotte Owensby clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win against Winta Tewolde and Michelle Xu in the No. 3 spot.
 
Anna Zhang and Sophia Wang played together in the No. 1 doubles against Rachel Arbitman and Iveta Daujotaite. Zhang and Wang trailed, 3-5 as their match went unfinished.
 
Harvard extended its lead to 2-0 to start singles play as Ho earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over Rimondini in the No. 3 singles. Clarine Lerby answered back with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Mihaela Marculescu at the No. 5 spot for Columbia's first point of the day.
 
Fatima Keita tied the match, 2-2 as she took a 6-4, 6-4 win over Sany Gawande in the No. 6 singles. The Crimson reclaimed the lead shortly after as You battled to take a 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 win against Amineni in the No. 4 spot.
 
Julia Haynes tied the match again, 3-3 as she finished off a 7-5, 6-1 win over Duncan in the No. 2 doubles. Haynes and Duncan were tied 5-5 in the first set before Haynes fought to win the last two games and take the set. Haynes jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set and cruised to the 6-1 win to win the match.
 
With all eyes on the No. 1 singles, Zhang and Owensby were in the middle of the third set. Owensby batted through the first set and won the tiebreaker, 7-1. Zhang rallied back with a 6-4 second set win to force a third set. Zhang and Owensby traded breaks as they found themselves tied, 3-3 in the third set.
 
For the first time in the third set, Zhang held her serve and then broke Owensby again to take the 5-3 lead. Zhang then won her third game in a row to finish off a 6-3 third set win that clinched the match and the Columbia team win.
 
The Lions capped off senior day by avenging the loss to Harvard from earlier in the season. Columbia sits at 4-1 in the Ivy League and is tied for second place in the league with Brown. Princeton sits at the top of the standings with a 5-0 record.
 
"Today was a wonderful way to send off our three incredible seniors, Shivani, Michelle, and Sophie," Weintraub said. "They have been dedicated to our program over the last four years and have helped continue to build and evolve our culture into what it is today."
 
Columbia vs. #72 Harvard
April 16, 2023 – New York, N.Y.
Milstein Family Tennis Center
 
Columbia 4, #72 Harvard 3
 
Singles
1. Anna Zhang (COL) def. #116 Charlotte Owensby (HARV) 6-7(1-7), 6-4, 6-3
2. Julia Haynes (COL) def. Maxi Duncan (HARV) 7-5, 6-1
3. Sophia Ho (HARV) def. Rachele Rimondini (COL), 6-2, 6-3
4. Angel You (HARV) def. Shivani Amineni (COL) 6-2, 0-6, 6-2
5. Clarine Lerby (COL) def. Mihaela Marculescu (HARV) 6-2, 6-4
6. Fatima Keita (COL) def. Sany Gawande (HARV) 6-4, 6-4
 
Doubles
1. Anna Zhang/Sophia Wang (COL) vs. Rachel Arbitman/Iveta Daujotaite (HARV) 3-5, UF
2. Sophia Ho/Maxi Duncan (HARV) def. Rachele Rimondini/Shivani Amineni (COL) 6-1
3. Angel You/Charlotte Owensby (HARV) def. Winta Tewolde/Michelle Xu (COL) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,5,6,4,2,1)
 
UP NEXT

Columbia wraps up its regular season schedule with a pair of Ivy League matches on the road next weekend. The Lions will travel to Yale on Saturday for a 1 p.m. match before heading to No. 64 Brown on Sunday for a 1 p.m. first serve.

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