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After all the other matches were complete, players and coaches from Syracuse and Duke crowded around the No. 2 singles court. They watched as Guzal Yusupova pumped her fist in celebration after Kelly Chen’s shot sailed past the baseline. Every player in a Syracuse uniform began clapping, and they surrounded Yusupova, congratulating her on the victory.

In her final match in the Drumlins Tennis Center, Yusupova — a graduate student — capped off a grueling, three-set win over the No. 27 ranked singles player in the nation. 

Despite Yusupova’s triumph, Syracuse (6-10, 5-8 Atlantic Coast) lost 4-3 to No. 14 Duke (13-5, 8-4 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. In its last nine matches, Syracuse played eight ranked opponents and lost against seven. Yusupova, Zeynep Erman and Polina Kozyreva were responsible for Syracuse’s three points, all earning singles victories, but SU was swept for the doubles point.

The loss marks the end of SU’s regular season, one closed out with two consecutive home losses, including Friday’s defeat at the hands of No. 1 North Carolina. It marks Syracuse’s first losing season since 2016-17, too, but it’s the third time in the last five years that Syracuse has ended a season with 10 or more losses.

Against a Blue Devils team with all ranked players, including three singles players in the top 50, Syracuse couldn’t squeak by. Viktoriya Kanapatskaya was SU’s only ranked singles player, at No. 23, and Natalie Novotna and Kanapatskaya were the only ranked doubles pair, at No. 28. 

The lineups — and results — remained the same as SU’s loss to UNC. Kanapatskaya and Novotna lost at No. 1 doubles, and Sofya Treshcheva and Kozyreva lost at No. 2 doubles. And once again, the doubles round was decided within 40 minutes of the match’s commencement. 

Duke’s No. 6 doubles pair, Meible Chi and Margaryta Bilokin, overpowered Kanapatskaya and Novotna. The Blue Devils pair continuously returned serves that Syracuse couldn’t react to, extended rallies and hit winners down the line that caught SU out of position. 

Treshcheva and Kozyreva couldn’t handle Duke’s presence at the net. No. 10 Chloe Beck and Karolina Berankova consistently rushed the net together for a double presence. Syracuse managed to win three games, but the Blue Devils prevailed by returning most of SU’s rallies.

Just as they did against North Carolina, Yusupova and Erman kept up with their opponents on the No. 3 doubles court. But just like against UNC, the doubles round was decided before they could finish. Yusupova and Erman were down 5-4, in the middle of trading service games with Duke’s Chen and Georgia Drummy, when play stopped. Although Yusupova and Erman have meshed well together in their last two matches, head coach Younes Limam isn’t sure if they will remain a pair for the upcoming ACC tournament.

“There’s a long way to go. A lot can happen between now and then. But yeah, they played well on Friday and today,” Limam said. “They’ve practiced together in the past, and I really like what I saw this past weekend.”

Both Yusupova and Erman translated this solid performance into singles play. Yusupova’s match was the last to finish, as she defeated the No. 27 Chen in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory. Yusupova’s consistent backhand proved to be valuable down the stretch, enabling her to shift the momentum in her favor at several crucial points on her senior day.

“She played with a lot of commitment to her shots,” said Limam. “She was moving well. She was sometimes changing the pace.” 

Erman’s impressive singles victory against North Carolina’s Anika Yarlagadda earned her a promotion to No. 5 singles, where she faced Duke’s Bilokin. Erman battled back to win 7-5, 6-3 after initially falling 0-2 in the first set. Erman was comfortable in Sunday’s match, utilizing her powerful serve and strong crosscourt forehands to hit winners. 

“I think Friday gave her a lot of confidence going into today,” Limam said.

Kozyreva also completed a three-set victory against Berankova after losing the first set, coming back to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, but Ines Fonte lost 3-6, 0-6 early in the singles round. Syracuse had to win at least four of the remaining five matches still in play, but both Kanapatskaya and Novotna suffered straight-set defeats at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, respectively. 

Despite starting out with a 3-1 lead in her first set, Novotna quickly lost control and never regained it. Beck dictated the pace throughout, consistently forcing Novotna to improvise on points by forcing Novotna to the net, lobbing the ball over her and slicing the ball on either side of the court. After the first set, the match slipped away from Novotna, as she lost her first service game of the second set and was never able to put the score back in her favor.

Kanapatskaya fell short in a crucial first-set tiebreak and didn’t put up a fight in her second set against Drummy. Throughout the match, Kanapatskaya’s play at the net let her down, as she skewed straightforward volleys and smashes in several rallies in which she was in position to win.

And by the time Yusupova, Erman and Kozryeva won their games, SU had already lost. Limam acknowledged his team’s shortcomings after the match, SU’s last before the ACC tournament. 

“We have to charge the batteries … and improve on a few things that we saw during this weekend,” Limam said.

Published on April 11, 2021 at 6:20 pm

Contact Bryan: [email protected]