WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women's tennis started the 2023 dual season with a perfect season opener over Memphis and Chicago State. The Boilermakers held off the Tigers with a 4-3 victory in the opener, before sweeping the second match against the Cougars, 4-0.
MATCH 1 – Purdue vs. Memphis
The Boilermakers picked up a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Tigers in the opener.
Purdue struck first in doubles to take the opening point of the year. Csilla Fodor and Carmen Gallardo Guevara steamrolled Aran Teixido Garcia and Dolavee Tumthong, 6-2, at No. 2 for the Boilermakers' first doubles victory. Liz Norman and Tara Katarina Milic put Purdue ahead for the match with a 6-2 win over Camila Soares and Monique Woog at the top of the lineup.
Kennedy Gibbs and Juana Larranaga held a 5-4 lead at No. 3 when play was halted.
Gallardo Guevara gave Purdue a 2-0 lead in singles play with a 6-2, 6-3 romp over Soares. The lead grew to three when freshman Kennedy Gibbs started her career with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tumthong at No. 5.
Memphis rallied back into the match with straight set victories of its own at No. 3 and 4.
Norman sealed the win for Purdue at No. 1. The Terre Haute, Ind., native outlasted Teixido Garcia 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 for the decisive point.
PURDUE (2-0) – 4, MEMPHIS (0-1) – 3
SINGLES
1. Liz Norman (PUR) Aran Teixido Garcia (MEM) – 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
2. Carmen Gallardo Guevara (PUR) def. Camila Soares (MEM) – 6-2, 6-3
3. Monique Woog (MEM) def. Csilla Fodor (PUR) – 6-3, 6-3
4. Emily Meyer (MEM) def. Tara Katarina Milic (PUR) – 6-2, 7-5
5. Kennedy Gibbs (PUR) def. Dolavee Tumthong (MEM) – 6-1, 6-4
6. Micah Pierce (MEM) def. Juana Larranaga (PUR) – 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4
DOUBLES
1. Tara Katarina Milic/Liz Norman (PUR) def. Camila Soares/Monique Woog (MEM) – 6-2
2. Csilla Fodor/Carmen Gallardo Guevara (PUR) def. Aran Teixido Garcia/Dolavee Tumthong (MEM) – 6-2
3. Kennedy Gibbs/Juana Larranaga (PUR) vs. Miriam Grossman/Emily Meyer (MEM) – 5-4, unfinished
ORDER OF FINISH
Singles: 2,5,3,4,1,6
Doubles: 2,1
Match 2 – Purdue (2-0) vs. Chicago State (0-2)
Building off of the momentum of the win over the Tigers, the Boilermakers rolled through the second match 4-0.
Purdue quickly picked up the doubles point in the nightcap. Following a default at No. 3 by Chicago State, it became a race for the two doubles teams to finish first. Kennedy Gibbs and Juana Larranaga put Purdue ahead 1-0 for the match with a 6-2 win at No. 2 over Cali Fuller and Amina Taibi.
Tara Katarina Milic and Liz Norman were not far behind at No. 1, as the pair was one point away from winning their match at No. 1 against Ethel Li and Kristina Pukhaeva when play was halted with a 5-2 lead.
Purdue earned another point after Chicago State defaulted at No. 6 singles. At No. 2 singles, Csilla Fodor blanked Kristina Pukhaeva 6-0, 6-0. Freshman Kennedy Gibbs followed behind at No. 4 with a win of her own 6-1, 6-2 over Ethel Li to seal the win.
The Boilermakers held the lead in three other singles matches when play was halted. Norman held a 6-2, 1-0 advantage over Fuller at No. 1, Milic led Katarina Dukic 6-2, 4-0 at No. 3 and Antonia Pareja was three games shy of her first Purdue dual win with a 6-1, 3-0 lead over Amina Taibi at No. 5.
SINGLES
1. Liz Norman (PUR) vs. Cali Fuller (CSU) – 6-2, 1-0, unfinished
2. Csilla Fodor (PUR) def. Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU) – 6-0, 6-0
3. Tara Katarina Milic (PUR) vs. Katarina Dukic (CSU) – 6-2, 4-0, unfinished
4. Kennedy Gibbs (PUR) def. Ethel Li (CSU) – 6-1, 6-2
5. Antonia Pareja (PUR) vs. Amina Taibi (CSU) – 6-1, 3-0, unfinished
6. Ashlie Wilson (PUR) wins by default
DOUBLES
1. Tara Katarina Milic/Liz Norman (PUR) vs. Ethel Li/Kristina Pukhaeva (CSU) – 5-2, unfinished
2. Kennedy Gibbs/Juana Larranaga (PUR) def. Cali Fuller/Amina Taibi (CSU) – 6-2
3. Csilla Fodor/Rut Galindo win by default
ORDER OF FINISH
Singles: 2, 4
Doubles: 2
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