HOUSTON, TX – Harvard women’s tennis got back in the win column this afternoon and improved to 2-1 by defeating Rice, 4-2.  Despite dropping the doubles point, the Crimson looked strong in singles to come from behind and secure the victory. 

How it Happened

After falling in doubles the Crimson went to work in singles play.  The Owls were able to move up two after winning at the No. 3 singles match but from that point on, the match was all Crimson.  Maxi Duncan picked up the first win of the day at the No. 4 position, cruising to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Chie Kezuka (Rice). 
 
Holly Fischer then got back into the win column and tied up the match by dropping Federica Trevisan (Rice) at the No. 1 spot.  After dropping her first match of the season last night, the No. 103 nationally ranked singles player improved to 7-1 with a pair of 6-3 decisions today. 
 
Kate Kim moved Harvard within a point of the win by grabbing her third straight victory in dual play at the No. 5 position.  Rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Saara Orav (Rice), Kim improved to an impressive 13-3 in 2023-24. 
 
Ultimately, Kavya Karra clinched the victory at the No. 6 spot as she downed Anushka Ashar (Rice) with relative ease, 6-1, 6-1.  With one match outstanding, Karra was able to secure the win for the Crimson and pick up her first dual match victory of her collegiate career. 

Harvard Highlights

• Kate Kim continues to provide strong performances for the Crimson in her first-year with the squad.  With 13 overall victories, including being 3-0 this spring, Kim leads the squad in singles wins. 
• Holly Fischer got back to her winning ways to improve to 7-1 in 2023-24.  The junior entered the spring after a 5-0 fall that landed her at No. 103 in the ITA Women’s Division I singles rankings. 
• Maxi Duncan added another win to her resume, with a strong straight set victory at the No. 4 position.  Duncan now stands at 2-1 through the first three matches. 
• In her match clinching victory, first-year Kavya Karra picked up her first dual match win in her collegiate career.
• Having met Rice for just the second time in history today, the Crimson upped its advantage in the all-time series to 2-0 over the Owls.  

Results

Harvard – 4, Rice – 2
Doubles

1. Federica Trevisan/Chie Kezuka (Rice) def. Iveta Daujotaite/Angel You, 6-1
2. Darya Schwartzman/Divna Ratkovic (Rice) def. Stephanie Yakoff/Holly Fischer, 6-1
3. Natalie Block/Sany Gawande vs. Saara Orav/Anushka Ashar (Rice), 2-5 DNF

Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles

1. No. 103 Holly Fischer def. Federica Trevisan (Rice), 6-3, 6-3
2. Stephanie Yakoff vs. Darya Schwartzman (Rice), 6-7, 6-2, 3-4 DNF
3. Divna Ratkovic (Rice) def. Charlotte Owensby, 6-2, 6-0
4. Maxi Duncan def. Chie Kezuka (Rice), 6-2, 6-3
5. Kate Kim def. Saara Orav (Rice), 6-3, 6-2
6. Kavya Karra vs. Anushka Ashar (Rice), 6-1, 6-1

Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 5, 6

Next Up

Harvard will hit the road again next weekend as they head to Nebraska to face DePaul University and University of Nebraska on Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28.