CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Elon’s Jordan Johnston and Frida Jansaker defeated UNC’s 43rd ranked duo of Zoe De Bruycker and Laura Slater in doubles play to open the season for the Phoenix women’s tennis team today, Jan. 18. The No. 4 Tar Heels (1-0) went on to win the match against Elon (0-1), 7-0, at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center.
Playing at number one doubles, Johnston and Jansaker found themselves down 4-3 to De Bruycker/Slater before winning the next four games for a 7-4 lead. The Heels tandem pulled within one, 7-6, but the Phoenix won the last game for to claim the 8-6 upset victory.
In other doubles action, Barbora Lazarova and Bryn Khoury fell to Haley Hemm and Caroline Price, 8-3, at number two. Briana Berne and Maria Camara Ruiz kept their match with Jennifer Stone and Tessa Lyons close on court three, trailing by only one game for half the match. However, with the score in favor of Stone/Lyons, 5-4, the UNC duo won the remaining three games and clinched the doubles points for the Tar Heels, 8-4.
UNC’s Shinann Featherston defeated Khoury, 6-1, 6-1, at number one singles, while Berne fell to Stone by the same score on court six. Caroline Price, the No. 55 player in the country, clinched the match for the Tar Heels after claiming a 6-0, 6-4 win over Johnston at number one. Gina Suraez-Malaguti picked up another victory for UNC at number three with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jansaker.
After dropping the first set to Hemm, 6-4, on court four, Lazarova tied the match with a 6-2 second-set win. Hemm went on to earn the victory, 1-0 (10-4), as the third set was played as a tiebreak.
At number five, Viviana Stavreva jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set against Slater. However, Slater claimed six of the next seven games for a 7-5 win and later went on to take the second set by the same score.
Elon will return action on Friday, Jan. 20, with a match at North Carolina A&T at 2:30 p.m.