Rutgers University
Michigan State
Tennis Defeats Michigan State, 5-1, to Advance in Big Ten Tournament
Apr 26 | Women's Tennis
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The No. 13-seeded Rutgers women's tennis team (11-12, 1-10 B1G) defeated No. 12 seed Michigan State (9-14, 2-9 B1G), 5-1, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday afternoon in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Scarlet Knights started off hot, winning the doubles point before picking up four singles wins to secure the match win.
Nothing like that winning feeling 🤩#GoRU | #RTennis | #B1GWTEN pic.twitter.com/neYmIu8Dzh
— Rutgers Tennis (@RutgersTennis) April 26, 2023
The Big Ten Tournament first round win is the first for head coach Hilary Ritchie since she took the reins in 2016.
"Our team really came to play today," Ritchie said. "From the warmup, they did everything right. They fought hard to put themselves in a good position and closed out sets well. We're going to be ready for a tough battle with Northwestern."
Doubles
After a pair of hard-fought doubles matches on the first and third courts, Rutgers emerged victorious with the first point of the match. The doubles point is the first for the Scarlet Knights against a conference opponent this season.
The pair of Tara Chilton/Amira Badawi continued to find success together with a 7-5 win on the top court. They are now 3-2 overall as well as in Big Ten play.
The duo of Mai Nguyen/Minchae Kim clinched the doubles point on the last court for RU, after battling for the 7-6 (4) win. The victory marks the first for the pair.
Singles
Badawi picked up her ninth singles win of the season with a dominant straight sets win on the third court, 6-2, 6-0. The decision was also her third against a Big Ten opponent.
Chilton followed up with another win on the second court (7-5, 6-3) to keep the Scarlet Knights in front, 3-1. The victory marked her 10th of the spring as well as first in conference play.
Mai Nguyen clinched the match for the Scarlet Knights with a 6-4, 6-4 win on the fifth court for her seventh victory overall this season and first in the Big Ten.
Just a couple seconds later, Daira Cardenas wrapped up her match on the final court with another 6-4, 6-4 decision to solidify the 5-1 match win for Rutgers. The victory was also her seventh on the spring and second in league competition.
Badawi, Chilton and Nguyen's win signify their first of their careers in the Big Ten Tournament while Wednesday's win for Cardenas is the second of her career.
Results
Doubles
- Tara Chilton/Amira Badawi (RU) def. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) 7-5
- Nicole Conrad/Issey Purser (MSU) def. Jackeline Lopez/Arina Valitova (RU) 6-1
- Mai Nguyen/Minchae Kim (RU) def. Juliette Nask/Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) 7-6 (4)
Singles
- Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Jackeline Lopez (RU) 6-2, 6-0
- Tara Chilton (RU) def. Ayshe Can (MSU) 7-5, 6-3
- Amira Badawi (RU) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-2, 6-0
- Arina Valitova (RU) vs. Juliette Nask (MSU) 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
- Mai Nguyen (RU) def. Marley Lambert (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
- Daira Cardenas (RU) def. Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
Up Next
Rutgers will go onto face the No. 5 seed, Northwestern (11-12, 7-4 B1G), on Thursday, April 27 at noon.
The two teams met earlier this season on April 9, when the Wildcats came away with the 4-1 win. Northwestern claimed the doubles point before winning three singles matches to seal the win. Badawi earned her third Big Ten win of the season with a victory on the third singles court, 6-4, 6-4.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1,5,6
Players Mentioned
