Crimson Sends Two Delegations to Tourneys in Different Regions

The Harvard women’s tennis team went bicoastal for the weekend.

While junior co-captains, Kristin Norton and Hideko Tachibana, headed west to compete as a doubles team at the Riviera/Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championship in California, the remaining Crimson women traveled to Flushing Meadows, N.Y., last Friday for the USTA Billie Jean King Invitational.

The USTA tournament featured 156 collegiate players from across the country, including representatives from every Ivy League school except Penn. In this formidable field of competitors, Harvard wielded a strong performance. The Crimson women played in six different singles draws and three various doubles draws.

USTA BILLIE JEAN KING INVITATIONAL

Harvard sophomore Hannah Morrill won her first two matches in the A draw before Olga Makhova of Charleston Southern University defeated her in the round of 16.

Freshman Sylvia Li and junior Camille Jania were also standout players in the tournament.

Playing in the C singles draw, Li defeated her first two competitors in straight sets before facing a more challenging opponent: Princeton’s Katherine Flanigan, seeded third in her portion of the draw.

“I had played her before because we are both from California,” Li said. “I kind of knew what to expect, although her game has changed a bit in college. It was a tough match, and she played really well. We both fought very hard; her game and mine match up well. But this weekend, she had the advantage.”

Jania, seeded third in singles draw B, also had a strong showing.

“Every match was a learning experience,” Jania said. “Every time I went on the court, I just wanted to do better than in the last match and improve on something that I was struggling with. No matter what kind of point occurred, I wanted to have positive energy and move on to the next point.”

The junior won two straight matches to make it to the semifinals. She was then defeated by Columbia’s Bianca Sanon in a tough, three-set contest, 6-1, 5-7, 12-10.

“The first set was really decisive of who was the better player,” Jania said. “I was kind of doubting myself after it.”

After the first set, Jania and her coaches were able to analyze her opponent’s game and create opportunities for Jania to win points, allowing her to take the second.

“After analytically approaching the game, I was able to figure her out and hit better shots,” Jania said. “Then in the tie-break, it was close the entire way. She was always in it, never backing down. She was a tough opponent and drove me to step up my game every single time. I just came up a little bit short. She wanted it more than me today.”

Jania also excelled in doubles play, partnering with junior Alexandra Lehman. The duo made it to the semifinals of the B bracket, where they were defeated by Nadia Lee and Franziska Sprinkmeyer of Northern Texas University.

The team as a whole showed improvement and became a more cohesive unit.

“We had played a tournament earlier, and compared to that one, this one had a lot more chemistry in the doubles teams and a lot more team spirit throughout the whole tournament,” Li said. “There were some great matches this weekend, and everyone fought really hard.”

The team’s mental approach to the tournament was also a key element to its success.

“Everyone really put in an incredible amount of effort before and after each match,” Jania said. “The match actually begins before you even set foot on the court, and everyone did a great job of really preparing and having the right mentality. I was very impressed with how everyone approached the tournament.”

The tournament as a whole was an important opportunity and experience for the team.

“There were many great teams at the tournament and every match was pretty competitive,” Li said. “Everyone got to play a lot of matches, the facilities were great, and it was a lot of fun.”

In addition, the team, with a little help from technology, was able to stay connected with its two captains despite the distance.

“Our team felt a lot smaller, but we were still a team,” Li said. “Plus, we kept [Norton and Tachibana] updated through text messages.”

RIVIERA/ITA ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

After a solid win over 12th-ranked Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather of Florida, Harvard doubles partners Norton and Tachibana advanced no further, losing to Clemson’s No. 1 Josipa Bek and Keri Wong in the second round, 8-2.

Yet, being the only unranked team going into the tournament, the Crimson tandem still harvested some positives after the loss.

“We went in with a nothing-to-lose mentality,” Norton said. “[After we saw the draw], we thought if we could beat [Embree and Mather], it would be a good sign for us in the Ivy League because we don’t get a chance to play against top-ranked teams that often. It was a good experience.”