Box Score PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State Women's Tennis team opened its 2022 dual-match season in convincing fashion, defeating BYU 6-1 Friday at the Simmelink Tennis Courts, giving first-year head coach
Raquel Atawo her first Cougar victory in her dual-match debut.
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The day began with doubles and WSU's (1-0) No. 3 pair
Savanna Ly-Nguyen and
Elyse Tse rode a break of serve to a 6-4 victory over BYU's (1-2) Anastasia Abramyan and Yujia Huang, giving WSU the early advantage. Following close behind, WSU's No.1 duo of
Michaela Bayerlova and
Maxine Murphy brought home a 6-4 victory against Anastasia Abramyan and Yujia Huang, clinching the opening doubles point. On Court 2,
Yang Lee and
Fifa Kumhom finished out the sweep with a 7-5 win over Leah Heimuli and Jacque Dunyon, giving WSU a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
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In singles, Bayerlova wasted no time in doubling the WSU lead as on her seventh match point, completed a 6-1, 6-3 win over Dunyon at No. 1. Ly-Nguyen, at No. 2, started slow but never looked back as after falling behind 3-0 to Heimuli, reeled off nine-straight games to take control of the match. She closed out her day with a 6-3, 7-5 win, putting WSU one win away from the team victory.
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At No. 3, Murphy, the freshman making her dual-match debut, needed three sets en route to a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win over Abramyan, clinching the team win for WSU. Tse, another freshman playing at home for the first time, completed a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) win at No. 4 to push WSU's lead to 5-0.
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Kumhom had no trouble rolling to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Madison Smith at No. 5 while Lin accounted for BYU's lone win, needing three sets to defeat
Stefaniia Mikhailova, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7) at No. 6.
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WSU's impressive 6-1 win over BYU avenges a 4-3 loss in Provo last year, which snapped WSU's six-match winning streak in the series.
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WSU is next in action Jan. 29 when it hosts Eastern Washington and Idaho in a pair of matches at the Simmelink Tennis Courts. The EWU match begins at 11 a.m. followed by Idaho at 4 p.m.
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WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
Washington State 6 def. BYU 1
January 21, 2021
Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse
Pullman, Wash.
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DOUBLES
No. 1
Michaela Bayerlova/
Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Anastasia Abramyan/Yujia Huang (BYU) 6-4
No. 2
Yang Lee/
Fifa Kumhom (WSU) def. Leah Heimuli/Jacque Dunyon (BYU) 7-5
No. 3
Savanna Ly-Nguyen/
Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Emilee Astle/Kara Lin (BYU) 6-4
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
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SINGLES
No. 1
Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) def. Jacque Dunyon (BYU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2
Savanna Ly-Nguyen (WSU) def. Leah Heimuli (BYU) 6-3, 7-5
No. 3
Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Anastasia Abramyan (BYU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
No. 4
Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Yujia Huang (BYU) 6-4, 7-6 (6)
No. 5
Fifa Kumhom (WSU) def. Madison Smith (BYU) 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 Kara Lin (BYU) def.
Stefaniia Mikhailova (WSU 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)
Order of Finish: 1,2,3,4,5,6
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