Strong Beginning for the University of Oregon at the Duck Invitational
The Oregon women’s tennis team had an impressive start to its fall season, securing victories in three out of four doubles matches and maintaining an unbeaten record of 4-0 in singles competition during the opening day of the Duck Invitational on Friday, held at the UO Student Tennis Center.
The Ducks competed in two doubles matches against both Portland and Washington before playing four singles matches against Portland State later in the day. UO claimed both doubles matches from the Pilots while splitting two contests with conference foe WSU.
Uxia Martinez Moral and Jo-Yee Chan overtook Portland’s duo of Rimona Rouf and Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, 6-4. On the next court, Sophie Luescher and LSU transfer Candela Aparisi handled Alaia Rubio Perez and Nadine Arbaizar Martinez, 6-3.
In the next round of doubles matches, Luescher and Martinez Moral teamed up and won five straight games, overcoming a 4-1 deficit, for a 6-4 victory over WSU’s Fifa Kumhom and Yura Nakagawa. Aparisi paired up with Karin Young and took on Hania Abouelsaad and Martina Markova, but fell in a tightly contested match, 6-4.
In singles, four Ducks took on Portland State, picking up three straight-set victories. Luescher rolled to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Nika Beukers while Young won her match against Momoko Yoshimura, 6-4, 6-1. Aparisi took down Makota Ohara, 6-4, 6-3.
Martinez Moral and Elizabeth Strongina split the first two sets, with Martinez Moral winning a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (6), and Strongina earning a 7-5 win in set two. The two battled out a 10-point third-set tiebreaker, with the UO fifth-year senior coming away with a 10-6 victory.
The Duck Invitational, spanning three days, resumes on Saturday at the UO Student Tennis Center, commencing at 9 a.m. PT. The day will kick off with doubles matches against Portland State, followed by singles matches against Washington State at approximately 9:45 a.m. It’s worth noting that all Oregon tennis matches are free of charge and open to the public.
