No. 1 UNC women's tennis wins tiebreaker, claims 4-3 win over No. 7 Georgia

The No. 1 UNC women’s tennis team remains unbeaten after pulling out a 4-3 victory over No. 7 Georgia in front of a small crowd in Athens. The teams haven’t met since the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship match, where the Tar Heels fell just short of the Bulldogs by the same score. 

What happened?

A five-hour battle started off with the Tar Heels dropping the doubles point for an uncharacteristic second consecutive match, but quickly answering with a 6-3, 6-0 win by No. 4 senior Sara Daavettila. No. 120 first-year Fiona Crawley was the next to finish with a 6-1, 7-5 win putting the Tar Heels ahead 2-1.

But a loss on court three by No. 6 junior Cameron Morra, followed by No. 3 senior Alexa Graham being defeated in three sets, put the Bulldogs back on top with a 3-2 lead. 

With only four courts available for use, the teams sent out their fifth and sixth players as the previous matches finished. The Tar Heels needed victories on both courts in order to win the match.

First-year Reilly Tran tied the score at 3-3 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory on court six, leaving the team's fate in the hands of sophomore Anika Yarlagadda, who won a tiebreaker to pull out a 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory. 

“There was some really high level tennis, especially at the end,” head coach Brian Kalbas said. “Sometimes those matches, when it’s the last match on the court, it can be some scratchy tennis and very nervous tennis, but this was not the case.”

Who stood out? 

Each of the three first-years — Crawley, Tran and Yarlagadda — delivered great performances, contributing to three out of the four points needed to win and earning praise from Kalbas.  

“It was really the player that was gonna have the guts and the belief to win it and be aggressive,” Kalbas said. “That’s ultimately how Anika was successful.”

When was it decided?

With momentum constantly changing, the match was decided in dramatic fashion as it all came down to court five. After rallying to get the second set, Yarlagadda found herself down 5-6 in the third, breaking Georgia’s Elena Christofi’s serve to force a tiebreaker, which she won 7-5. 

Why does it matter?

Despite being short two players, the team secured a huge win over a formidable opponent, building confidence before the ITA Indoors. Heading into a three-day long event, the team also got to see just how much depth they really have.

“For us to know that we have nine/ten players that can give us a great effort every time is a bonus and definitely a great advantage for us going into this tournament,” Kalbas said.

Georgia, like UNC, has a true powerhouse program, making this one of the biggest victories for the Tar Heels so far this season. The team also avenged a previous loss to the Bulldogs in the 2019 ITA National Championship match. 

The Tar Heels are now 4-0 and remain unbeaten since the start of 2020. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will travel to Stillwater, Okla. for the ITA Division 1 National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, where they are the reigning champions. The event will take place from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7, but the main draw has not yet been announced. 

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