Harvard Women's Tennis Roars Back: Dominant Sweeps and Redemption at 2024 ECAC Championship

Returning to its home courts this weekend for the first time since the season opener, Harvard women’s tennis (8-2) hosted the 2024 ECAC Championship at the Murr Center, hosting Ivy League foes Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, and Yale.

“It's always super exciting getting to see our family and friends come out to cheer us on, and having some nearby fans come out with the cowbell,” junior captain Angel You said about playing at home. “Everyone's just really riled up and it's always exciting to represent Harvard, especially at Murr.”

Over the three day tournament, the Crimson fell to Yale, but delivered decisive sweeps against both Cornell and Dartmouth the following days.

HARVARD 0, YALE 4

The Crimson faced off against Yale in the opening round of the ECAC Championships on Friday morning, ultimately falling 0-4 to the Bulldogs.

Harvard started the day with doubles action where it faced initial some challenges. Despite dropping the No. 2 position match, the Crimson managed to level the score at No.1, with junior Holly Fischer and freshman Stephanie Yakoff teaming up to battle their opponents 6-4. Ultimately, the Bulldogs clinched the final doubles match at No. 3, prevailing with a 6-4 decision.

Yale then seized control with early wins in singles at the second, fourth, and sixth positions which brought the score to 4-0 against Harvard, securing the overall victory and advancing to the semifinals.

While the Crimson ultimately fell short against Yale, Harvard held leads in each of its three outstanding matches. Fischer had claimed the first set at the No. 1 spot and was gaining momentum for a third set lead. Similarly, Yakoff and senior Sany Gawande had each won their first sets and showcased strong potential in the second.

The tournament marked the squad's first home match since its season opener. By Owen A. Berger

HARVARD 4, CORNELL 0

Harvard rebounded the next day to clinch a resounding victory over Cornell in the second day of competition.

The Crimson initiated its triumph by securing the doubles point early in the morning, winning at the No. 1 and 3 positions. Fischer and Yakoff claimed their second weekend win by downing Cornell opponents 6-0. Although the Big Red clinched the No. 2 match, freshman Natalie Block and Gawande’s 6-4 victory earned the Crimson the doubles point, extending its winning streak to 4-0 in dual action, and 6-0 overall.

Harvard consolidated its victory in singles as freshman Kate Kim bounced back with a dominant straight-set triumph at the No. 5 position (6-0, 6-1), conceding only two games and bringing her to a remarkable 15 overall singles wins with a 5-1 record in dual action.

Building off the momentum, fellow freshman Kavya Karra brought the Crimson another point closer to clinching the entire match, delivering another commanding performance with a straight set victory at the No 5. spot and dropping the least number of games of any Harvard player (6-2, 6-0).

The trio of first-year successes culminated with Yakoff’s victory at the No. 3 position, which sealed the win with three matches still in progress. Although Fischer and junior Maxi Duncan did not finish their singles matches, both held substantial leads over their opponents by the end of play.

Head coach Traci Green was proud of the team’s performance, citing the turnaround against Cornell from the previous match against Yale as a highlight of the weekend.

“It was really nice to see our team come together, improve the way we started the matches and also close them out really well,” said Green.

You echoed Green’s sentiment, adding, “We went out there and bounced back after a tough Friday, just focusing on what we needed to focus on and get the job done. It was really exciting to see everyone get excited about ECACs.”

The Crimson’s victory over the Big Red improved its all-time series advantage to 44-5, also marking Harvard's eighth consecutive triumph over Cornell.

The team will hit the road again this weekend to face off against Furman and Liberty. By Owen A. Berger

HARVARD 4, DARTMOUTH 0

The Crimson closed out the ECACs with a second-straight sweep against Dartmouth on Sunday, downing the Big Green 4-0.

The day commenced in a tight doubles battle, with Dartmouth clinching the first match at the No. 3 position (6-4). Ultimately, Harvard was able to fend off the Big Green at No. 1 and No. 2 through a pair of 7-5 decisions, giving the Crimson the doubles point for the second consecutive day.

Playing at the No. 1 position again, Fischer and Yakoff claimed an undefeated weekend, going an impressive 3-0 run.

“Once they get clicking in a match, they're really tough to beat. That speaks to their hard work, dedication, and practice,” Green said about Fischer and Yakoff. “Both of them have very complementary games, and we look to see them continue to contribute going forward.”

Green also expressed excitement about the pairing, saying, “It's exciting to see a freshman and a junior pair up and really play lights-out tennis over the weekend.”

Entering the singles matches, the Crimson appeared undefeatable. Gawande notched the first singles point winning 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot, extending the Crimson’s lead to 2-0. The next point was secured by Duncan, who defeated her opponent with a resounding 6-3, 6-1 win. This victory stands as the junior’s ninth of the season and improved her to 5-2 in dual action.

Continuing to lead the team in singles victories, Kim battled back to notch the decisive point for Harvard. The freshman fell behind 2-4 in the first set and risked falling further behind, but quickly turned the match around to win the next ten consecutive games, coming out with a stunning 6-4, 6-0 decision.

“After losing the Yale match, we turned the page and responded super well against the next two opponents,” Green said, adding, “they were both 8am matches, so it wasn't easy to get up at the crack of dawn and get out there to compete. But our team did a spectacular job of competing and fighting the whole way through and making the improvements that we wanted to see.”

Overall, the Crimson picked up a total of six singles wins across the last two days of the ECACS, bringing their tally to 70 triumphs in the 2023-24 season.

“The team dynamic has been really great—we’re a really close team, so we’re super excited about the season ahead,” You said. “We have two more matches this coming weekend. It's exciting to see the hard work put in on- and off the court paying off, especially with our next goal in sight this weekend.”

Harvard will return to the road to take on Furman University and Liberty University in Greenville, SC, this weekend.
—Staff writer Emma S. de Jong can be reached at emma.dejong@thecrimson.com