Home Advantage: Harvard Women’s Tennis, Yakoff Impress at ITA Regionals

The Harvard women’s tennis team had a strong showing at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Regionals tournament, its third tournament of the fall season. Junior captain Stephanie Yakoff captured the singles title and advanced to the NCAA individual championships in the process. Throughout the tournament, the Crimson showed depth and grit, weathering a Nor’easter to win several matches in both singles and doubles.

Harvard entered the tournament with momentum from its previous Harvard Fall Classic, where players claimed individual victories in 21 out of their 33 matches.

Division 1 teams from across the New England region send their top six to eight players to compete in singles and doubles matches. The New England Regionals tournament is a key opportunity for players to earn enough ITA ranking points to qualify for the individual NCAA tournament, held in mid-November in Orlando. Harvard hosted the tournament this year, which brought a different dynamic, according to Head Coach Traci Green.

“It’s always interesting when you host a huge tournament like Regionals,” Green said. “It’s a privilege because the winner gets to go to NCAAs, but it can be tricky when you’re technically the home team — still living in your dorm and reporting to the courts. The team stayed focused all week, and I’m super proud of that.”

Despite the distinct experience, Yakoff built on her 3-1 singles record before the tournament, winning all six matches without dropping a set at the ITA regionals. In the final match, she defeated No. 1 Serafima Shastova (Syracuse), 6-3, 6-4, to seal the regional crown. Yakoff also prevailed convincingly in her semifinal match against Orly Ogilvy (Yale), 6-2, 6-1. The semifinal win allowed Yakoff to earn a berth in the NCAA individual draw, the first Harvard singles player to do so in 15 years.

While Yakoff led the way for Harvard, other Crimson players contributed important wins and demonstrated the team. Yakoff and first-seeded doubles partner Kavya Karra ‘27 clinched dominant early wins (8-0) and advanced via a withdrawal to the round of 16, but their run was cut short by Brown’s Abigail Lee and Daniella Benabraham (8-5).

Captain Charlotte Owensby and junior Kate Kim also teamed up and made one of Harvard's deepest runs. Although the duo didn’t reach the late rounds, their performance helped build momentum and confidence. Owensby and Kim advanced to the quarterfinals after sweeping three early rounds — 8–1 over Colgate’s Amelia Galin and Sophia Montero, 8–2 against Le Moyne’s Emma Sanchez and Ella Fernando, and 8–3 versus Yale’s ninth-seeded Julia Werdiger and Erin Ha — before falling 8–4 to UConn’s Madison McLeod and Chloe Lomans in the quarterfinals. Many players noted the challenging weather throughout the tournament, as organizers kept play outdoors except during rain, forcing competitors to adjust to mid-50s temperatures that tested both conditioning and injury prevention.

“The conditions have been all over the place — hot, cold, windy, even rainy,” Owensby said. “Every day is different, so you have to be really adaptable and ready for anything.”

“It’s been a really busy weekend,” Kim added. “You might play one match at 8 a.m. and another at 4 p.m., so flexibility and preparation have been huge for us.”

Other notable singles performances came from freshman Claire Shao. Shao opened her singles campaign with a commanding 6–3, 6–2 victory and then rallied in the second round 1–6, 6–4, 6–1 for a gritty three-set comeback. In the third round, Shao faced top-seeded and eventual finalist Serafima Shastova (Syracuse) in a tightly contested 6–4, 7–5 loss that capped an impressive run.

“We see the fall season as a time to improve our games as individuals,” Green said. “The team has been working hard, getting extra reps in the gym and on court, and that effort is showing. We’ve really emphasized doubles pairings and communication, and that focus is paying off.”

Next on the Crimson’s fall slate is the Ivy League Qualifier Tournament, which begins October 24 in Cambridge. Last season, the Women’s team went undefeated in Ivy League play (7–0 in conference matches).The event will serve as one of Harvard’s final major competitions of the fall, giving players another opportunity to test new doubles pairings in match competition and gain match experience before the spring dual season begins.