CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Wesleyan women's tennis team came just one match shy in their defense of their 2019 national title as the No. 2 ranked Cardinals were downed, 5-0, in the 2021 NCAA Championship match against No. 3 Emory. The Cardinals (10-1) finish the shortened 2021 campaign as the national runner-up.
Making just their second appearance in the NCAA title match in program history, Wesleyan couldn't get much going against a storied Eagles squad whose victory today signaled the eighth national championship in program history.
Doubles Highlights:
- It was all-Emory in the early going as Wesleyan fell behind 3-0 in both the #1 and #2 double matches as the Eagles stormed to 8-1 and 8-2 victories in those contests
- Alexis Almy '22 and Megan Tran '22 did their best to stay in the match and salvage a point for Wesleyan but Ana Cristina Perez and Lauren Yoon had an impressive closing run to land an 8-4 win and secure the 3-0 doubles sweep for the Eagles
Singles Highlights:
- The cards were stacked against the Cardinals heading into singles play while Emory continued to dominate, winning the opening set in five of the six matches
- Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico was the first to finish at #1 as she defeated Venia Yeung '22 6-1, 6-0 to move Emory within one point of the national title
- The clinching point came at #6 as Jessica Fatemi secured a 6-0, 6-2 win over Caitlin Goldberg '23 that secured Emory their first national title since 2016
- Kristina Yu '22 was the lone Cardinal to win the first set in singles play as she was leading Defne Olcay 6-1, 4-2 when play was stopped
- Katie Fleischman '23 was battling at #2 as she dropped the first set 6-1 but was leading 3-2 in the second set against Christina Watson
- Almy and Serim Jin '23 both lost 6-4 in their first sets at #3 and #4, respectively, before the clinching point was made
Doubles:
- #1: Chang/Gonzalez-Rico (EMORY) def. Fleischman/Yeung (WES) 8-1
- #2: Taylor/Watson (EMORY) def. Goldberg/Yu (WES) 8-2
- #3: Perez/Yoon (EMORY) def. Almy/Tran (WES) 8-4
Singles:
- #1: Gonzalez-Rico (EMORY) def. Yeung (WES) 6-1, 6-0
- #2: Watson (EMORY) led Fleischman (WES) 6-1, 2-3 unfinished
- #3: Taylor (EMORY) led Almy (WES) 6-4, 1-2 unfinished
- #4: Perez (EMORY) led Jin (WES) 6-4, 2-0 unfinished
- #5: Yu (WES) led Olcay (EMORY) 6-1, 4-2 unfinished
- #6: Fatemi (EMORY) def. Goldberg (WES) 6-0, 6-2
LOOKING AHEAD:
All seven Cardinals who figured in the Wesleyan lineup throughout the 2021 NCAA Tournament will be returning in 2021-22.
