Blue Devils Overcome Challenges to Advance in Tournament
Strong winds signaled an approaching storm as clouds began to overshadow the previously sunny Ambler Tennis Stadium. Despite the absence of lightning, Duke showcased moments of brilliance, highlighted by Ellie Coleman’s fifth match-clinching victory of the season. The Blue Devils secured a 4-0 win against the 27th-ranked Owls, marking their 29th appearance in the round of 16 in program history against a Florida Atlantic team that had lost just once in the regular season.
“It was definitely a little tricky,” Coleman noted, referring to the wind. “We experienced it during our warmup, so we anticipated it would influence the match and prepared ourselves mentally.”
Head coach Jamie Ashworth praised the opposing team, stating, “[FAU] has had a fantastic year, defeating several strong teams, including Miami and Central Florida. I thought we played methodically and executed what we needed to secure the win.”
The Blue Devils (23-3) began by winning the doubles point 2-1. After a tied score of 1-1, the duo of Emma Jackson and Liv Hovde proceeded to win three consecutive games, culminating in a 6-3 victory and extending their doubles winning streak to 14. The wind posed challenges for serves and overheads, but the Duke team managed to secure a crucial game against a Florida Atlantic (17-2) lob just beyond the baseline.
In the first court, Duke’s Ellie Coleman and Irina Balus faced Lara Smejkal and Malwina Rowinska from the Owls. Although they initially tied at two games each, Smejkal and Rowinska claimed four out of the next five games to win 6-3, leveling the doubles score. The last doubles point was decided on the Bonk Court, where Ava Krug and Shavit Kimchi alternated wins with Victoria Gomez O’Hayon and Millie-Mae Matthews. At 5-5, the Owls almost clinched the point, but Krug and Kimchi broke back, forcing a tiebreaker. In this tiebreak, Kimchi propelled the duo to victory with a series of impressive plays.
Balus, despite her earlier doubles loss, excelled in her first set of singles, using effective lob shots and key rallies to break FAU’s Panna Bartha twice for a 6-3 win. Meanwhile, Jackson fought back from a 2-0 deficit against Smejkal. After tying the match at 2-2, both players went back and forth to 5-5 until Jackson pulled ahead to win the set 7-5. She continued her momentum into the second set, closing it out with a 6-3 victory. “It was crucial for Jackson to gain that win for her confidence,” Ashworth commented.
Kimchi, facing an early 3-1 deficit, quickly turned the match around, winning 10 consecutive games to seal a 6-3 triumph and even leading 5-0 in her second set. Although she almost completed a 6-0 shutout, she bounced back after dropping a game to take the match decisively. Coleman also started strong, leading 4-1 in her match and eventually winning 6-3. With both Coleman and Balus close to clinching the team victory, Coleman ultimately secured the win. “I was just focused on my game, but I knew it was coming down to me, and I’m glad I could close it out,” Coleman said.
Hovde and Eleana Yu were the only Blue Devils to lose their initial sets but recovered effectively, with Yu winning 6-0 and Hovde 6-2. The match was clinched as soon as they commenced their third sets. “It’s super exciting,” Coleman expressed. “We’ve consistently believed we have a team that can achieve great things if we play our game.” Duke is set to face No. 9 Auburn in the round of 16 on Friday back in Durham.
