NEW YORK – The Columbia women's tennis team defeated Maryland and Hofstra in a home opening doubleheader on Friday afternoon at the Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
 
Columbia defeated Maryland, 4-1 to start the day before cruising past Hofstra, 4-0 to improve to 3-1 overall this season. With today's two wins, Columbia now owns a 14-match home win streak dating back to the 2023 season.
 
COLUMBIA VS. MARYLAND RECAP
Columbia continued its dominance in doubles play this season by winning the two and three doubles matches to take an early lead over Maryland. The duo of Emily Baek and Sophia Wang posted a 6-1 victory over Tamari Gagoshidze and Katherine Hung in the three spot. Sophia Strugnell and Gayathri Krishnan followed that up with a 6-4 win against Danielle Hack and Oliwia Orlinska in the three doubles to secure the doubles point for the Lions.
 
Fatima Keita and Malak El Allami held a 6-5 advantage against Kallista Liu and Ema Kovacevic in the top doubles match. That match went unfinished as Columbia secured the doubles point.
 
Columbia continued to perform well in singles action, securing three victories to finish off the 4-1 win. El Allami, Krishnan and Wang notched singles victories to help the Lions earn the team victory Friday.
 
El Allami put Columbia up, 2-0 as she defeated Hack in a quick 6-0, 6-2 win in the No. 2 singles. No. 88 Liu put Maryland on the scoreboard for the first time in the match by defeating Keita, 6-3, 6-2 in the top singles match. The Lions clamped down to earn the final two singles victories needed to secure the team victory. Krishnan battled back after losing the first set to post a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Kovacevic in the three spot. Wang clinched the Columbia victory by battling down the stretch to secure a 6-4, 7-5 win against Orlinska in the No. 4 singles.
 
COLUMBIA VS. HOFSTRA RECAP
The Lions dominated the back side of Friday's doubleheader with a quick 4-0 win against Hofstra. Columbia took all three doubles matches to get the contest started. Sophia Strugnell and Gayathri Krishnan won the top doubles match. Malak El Allami and Amber Yin worked together to cruise to a 6-0 victory in the second spot. Emily Baek and Sophia Wang were victorious in the No. 3 doubles.
 
Fatima Keita, Krishnan and Baek registered singles victories in straight sets to cap off the afternoon. Krishnan rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Sabira Mohamed in the No. 3 singles for Columbia's first singles victory. Baek followed that with a 6-0, 6-2 win against Kaitlyn Ferguson in the five spot. Keita clinched the Columbia shutout with a 6-2, 6-0 performance in the top singles against Amanda Kadiri.
 
El Allami, Yin and Strugnell all won the first set of their matches in singles action. Those matches went unfinished as the Lions clinched the 4-0 win.
 
RESULTS
Columbia 4, Maryland 1
Singles
1. #88 Kallista Liu (UMD) def. Fatima Keita (COL) 6-3, 6-2
2. Malak El Allami (COL) def. Danielle Hack (UMD) 6-0, 6-2
3. Gayathri Krishnan (COL) def. Ema Kovacevic (UMD) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
4. Sophia Wang (COL) def. Oliwia Orlinska (UMD) 6-4, 7-5
5. Amber Yin (COL) vs. Tamari Gagoshidze (UMD) 6-4, 1-6, 3-4, unfinished
6. Winta Tewolde (COL) vs. Diya Challa (UMD) 3-6, 6-0, 4-4, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Fatima Keita/Malak El Allami (COL) vs. Kallista Liu/Ema Kovacevic (UMD) 6-5, unfinished
2. Sophia Strugnell/Gayathri Krishnan (COL) def. Danielle Hack/Oliwia Orlinska (UMD) 6-4
3. Emily Baek/Sophia Wang (COL) def. Tamari Gagoshidze/Katherine Hung (UMD) 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,1,3,4)
 
Columbia 4, Hofstra 0
Singles
1. Fatima Keita (COL) def. Amanda Kadiri (HOFSTRA) 6-2, 6-0
2. Malak El Allami (COL) vs. Lea Forste-Dinell (HOFSTRA) 6-4, 0-3, unfinished
3. Gayathri Krishnan (COL) def. Sabira Mohamed (HOFSTRA) 6-1, 6-1
4. Amber Yin (COL) vs. Deniz Soyer (HOFSTRA) 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
5. Emily Baek (COL) def. Kaitlyn Ferguson (HOFSTRA) 6-0, 6-2
6. Sophia Strugnell (COL) vs. Mary Madigan (HOFSTRA) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Sophia Strugnell/Gayathri Krishnan (COL) def. Amanda Kadiri/Deniz Soyer (HOFSTRA) 6-1
2. Malak El Allami/Amber Yin (COL) def. Abigail Higgins/Sabira Mohamed (HOFSTRA) 6-0
3. Emily Baek/Sophia Wang (COL) def. Lea Forste-Dinell/Katarina Drinchich (HOFSTRA) 6-1
 
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,1)
 
UP NEXT
Columbia wraps up the weekend with a match against Notre Dame on Sunday. First serve from the Milstein Family Tennis Center is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
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