The Emory University men’s and women’s tennis teams are enjoying solid seasons and looking forward to their schedules' final stretch.
The men’s team began the season strong but have hit a rough patch, losing their last three matches. The Eagles now sit at 7-4 but, according to sophomore Christian Liew, they are not shaken, even after their recent loss on March 27 against Georgia Gwinnett College.
“We’re really strong,” Liew said. “Although we lost, we all played really well. We’re hopeful that we’re able to carry the momentum.”
On the other hand, the women’s team is flying high, notching a win against No. 17-ranked Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) on March 30 to improve their season record to 11-3. Junior Emily Kantrovitz said she feels confident in the team’s success and is looking to build on that as the season heads into the final stretch.
“We’ve come up with really great wins, and we’re all at a great place for setting us up later in our spring season,” Kantrovitz said. “I’m feeling very good, but obviously there’s a lot of work to be done until we get to the point that we really want to be.”
In late February, the men’s team traveled to Saint Peter, Minn., and the women’s team traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Championships. Across the three-day tournament, the Eagles competed against several highly-ranked Division III teams. Kantrovitz said the event helped the women’s team gauge their form against top opponents.
“It’s a good marker to see where everyone is at the beginning of the season,” Kantrovitz said. “It’s a really good way to match how you prepared in your offseason with the other teams.”
Following a first-day loss against No. 5-ranked Denison University (Ohio), the men’s team quickly rebounded to win their next two matches and earn a fifth-place finish in the tournament. Junior John Lasanajak ended the weekend with two wins, including a straight-set win on day three against No. 9 Swarthmore College (Pa.). The duo of freshman Ruilin Feng and Liew was strong, as they swept their opponents 6-0 for their second win of the weekend.
Liew has known Feng since they were kids and noted their experience playing doubles together before coming to Emory has helped them succeed this year.
“We have this good understanding of each other’s games as well,” Liew said. “But we also do lots of practice and we really analyze our past matches and stuff like that and see what we could do better.”
The women’s team performed strongly in an impressive third-place finish in Tennessee. In Emory’s day one win against No. 3 Wesleyan University (Conn.), the doubles pairs looked solid, as senior Eliza McPherron and sophomore Yanire Marte earned a 6-0 win. Juniors Iris Berman and Izzy Antanavicius won 6-1. Kantrovitz and graduate student Dakota Fordham were winning but did not finish their match, as the other two pairs’ victories were enough to clinch the doubles point.
Kantrovitz said that her doubles partner, Fordham, is new to the team this year so it was important for the duo to build chemistry and understand how each other plays in different situations.
“A huge part of doubles is trust and communication,” Kantrovitz said. “A big aspect of it is learning each other’s game, learning how each other reacts in different pressure scenarios. And chemistry is a huge thing. You want to know what to say to lift them up and what not to say. ”
The women’s team took a close loss in the semifinals against No. 1 University of Chicago (UChicago), before getting a 4-0 win in the third-place match against No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Calif.). Kantrovitz said that in order to rebound after their loss to UChicago, the team focused on the future rather than dwelling on the loss.
“The minute you start to let your previous results affect your current matches, it’s gonna be detrimental,” Kantrovitz said. “We really have focused on having a short-term memory with the losses, but seeing what we can learn from them and then apply to the next matches.”
Graduate Students Efe Comu and Charley Force high five after point.
Both the men’s and women’s teams are now looking forward to the remainder of the season, which includes the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships. Liew said the team is emphasizing being fit so they can play well when it matters most.
“The mistake we did last year was a lot of people played well at the start of the season, but towards the end they faded out,” Liew said. “We’ve been ramping up on fitness — we know UAAs is gonna be hot, so we wanna be fit for that.”
Kantrovitz said building team spirit and camaraderie ahead of the conference championship will be crucial to their success.
“One of the main things that we focus on going into UAAs is our team spirit and being loud,” said Kantrovitz. “People know that when they have to play Emory that we’re gonna come out and we’re gonna fight for every point every single time.”
Feng echoed that sentiment, saying that he does not have any individual goals and is more focused on team success.
“I don’t have [a] specific goal for myself,” Feng said. “I want my team to win. Obviously, I want [to] win my own match, … but I also want my teammate[s] to win and try to win the UAA.”
The opponents that both teams face in the UAA matches will be familiar, as many of them are opponents they have faced throughout the season. Marte said that the team would likely go into the conference tournament ranked second after UChicago, a team they are looking to rematch after losing to them earlier in the season.
Going into the final stretch of the season, both teams seem confident that they can perform under pressure in the postseason.
“This season, we’re working up to great things,” Kantrovitz said. “I’m very positive about our outcomes and very optimistic.”
