PRINCETON, N.J. - The University of Pennsylvania (3-2) women's tennis team downed Ivy League foe Harvard 4-3 on Saturday morning at the ECAC Championship, fighting back from a 3-0 deficit to win four-straight singles matches and clinch the win. With the victory, Penn moves to 3-2 on the year.
Harvard jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, winning doubles matches on courts two and three.
Jimena Rodriguez-Benito and
OJ Singh fell to the Crimson duo of Erica Oosterhout and Natasha Gonzalez by a score of 6-2 before
Marija Curnic and
Marta Kowalska met a similar fate on court three.
Ashley Zhu and
Lina Qostal were unable to finish their match, as Harvard had already secured the doubles point.
In singles play, the Crimson were able to build on their early momentum. Both Qostal and Rodriguez-Benito dropped matches on courts one and two, leaving Penn at a 3-0 disadvantage. With no margin for error, the Quakers were perfect from then on out. Starting with an Singh win on court six and Curnic on court five, they took the next four singles matches, but not without some drama. Kowalska and Zhu both fought to victory in three sets After dropping the first set, Kowalska would cruise 6-4 and 6-3 for Penn's third win of the morning. All eyes turned to court three as Zhu battled Harvard's Gonzalez. Zhu captured the first set, but lost 7-5 in the second. The sophomore returned the favor in the matche's deciding set, taking down the Crimson 7-5 to seal the win for Penn.
The win is the Quakers' fourth straight over the Crimson dating back to 2015, the longest in program history. Penn returns for one final match tomorrow at 8 a.m. in the ECAC Championship against an opponent to be determined.
Penn 4, Harvard 3
Doubles
1.
Lina Qostal/Ashley Zhu (Penn) vs. Annika Ringlom/ Irene Li (Harvard) 4-5 DNF
2. Erica Oosterhout/Natasha Gonzalez (Harvard) def.
OJ Singh/Jimena Rodriguez-Benito (Penn) 6-2
3. Neha Gupta/Isabel Jasper (Harvard) def.
Marija Curnic/Marta Kowalska (Penn) 6-2
Singles
1. Erica Oosterhout (Harvard) def.
Lina Qostal (Penn) 7-5, 6-1
2. Annika Ringblom (Harvard) def.
Jimena Rodriguez-Benito (Penn) 6-4, 6-0
3.
Ashley Zhu (Penn) def. Natasha Gonzalez (Harvard), 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
4.
Marta Kowalska (Penn) def. Neha Gupta (Harvard), 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
5.
Marija Curnic (Penn) def. Irene Li (Harvard), 7-5, 6-3
6.
OJ Singh (Penn) def. Isabel Jasper, 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3), Singles (1,2,6,5,4,3)
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