CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Columbia women's tennis team punched its ticket to the ECAC Championship match with a 4-1 win over Brown on Saturday night at Harvard's Murr Center.
The Lions battled back to win four singles matches after dropping the doubles point to advance to the championship match. Columbia will meet Yale on Sunday at 2 p.m. for a chance to take home the ECAC title for the first time since 2020. Columbia is now 8-1 and is off to its best start through the first nine matches since 2019.
Brown got the match started with wins in the No. 1 and 3 doubles to take the early lead via the doubles point.
Gayathri Krishnan and
Sophia Strugnell earned the first doubles win of the match with a 6-3 victory against Brown's Ali Benedetto and Addison Ahlstrom in the No. 2 spot.
The Bears rallied back as Vivian Miller and Nora Lee defeated
Winta Tewolde and
Rachele Rimondini in the No. 3 doubles, 6-3. Phoebe Peus and Lindsey Hofflander then took a 7-6(5) win over
Anna Zhang and
Sophia Wang in the top doubles to secure the point for Brown.
Columbia tied the match quickly with a singles win by Zhang in the No. 2 position. Zhang posted a 6-4, 6-1 win over Benedetto. The Lions then took the lead for good when
Fatima Keita finished off a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Dani Ben-Abraham in the No. 5 singles.
Krishnan and
Salma Farhat earned the last two singles wins needed to clinch the victory and earn a spot in the championship match Sunday. Krishnan dropped the first set, but battled back to defeat Soliman, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 in the No. 3 singles.
Farhat clinched the Columbia team victory as she also battled back from a set down to win in three sets. Farhat defeated Anne Yang, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the No. 6 spot.
RESULTS
Columbia vs. Brown
Feb. 10, 2024 – Cambridge, Mass.
Columbia 4, Brown 1
DOUBLES
1. Phoebe Peus/Lindsey Hofflander (BU) def.
Anna Zhang/
Sophia Wang (COL), 7-6(5)
2.
Gayathri Krishnan/
Sophia Strugnell (COL) def. Ali Benedetto/Addison Ahlstrom (BU), 6-3
3. Vivian Miller/Nora Lee (BU) def.
Winta Tewolde/
Rachele Rimondini (COL), 6-3
SINGLES
1. #107
Julia Haynes (COL) vs. Phoebe Peus (BU), 6-4, 4-5 (unfinished)
2.
Anna Zhang (COL) def. Ali Benedetto (BU), 6-4, 6-1
3.
Gayathri Krishnan (COL) def. Gabby Soliman (BU), 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
4.
Sophia Wang (COL) vs. Vivian Miller (BU), 6-4, 6-7(0), 4-1 (unfinished)
5.
Fatima Keita (COL) def. Dani Ben-Abraham (BU), 6-4, 6-1
6.
Salma Farhat (COL) def. Anne Yang (BU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,5,3,6)
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