EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Rutgers women's tennis team (1-1, 0-0 B1G) split its season-opening doubleheader with Princeton (1-0, 0-0 IVY) and Howard (0-1, 0-0 MEAC) on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights came up short against the Tigers, 4-3, before bouncing back to down the Bison, 7-0.
 
"Today was a mental and physical test," said head coach Hilary Ritchie. "I was pleased with how we came out against Princeton. They are a good team who plays fast. While the team was disappointed to come up short, we had three strong singles wins. Our team was focused and worked hard with a quick turnaround to beat Howard."

Doubles vs. Princeton
 
The Tigers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over the Scarlet Knights by claiming the doubles point. Princeton picked up wins on courts No. 1 and No. 3 to clinch the early edge.
 
Play on court No. 2 went unfinished, but Mai Nguyen and Minchae Kim held a 5-4 advantage at the conclusion of doubles competition.
 
Singles vs. Princeton
 
The two teams split the singles competitions, 3-3, with RU claiming wins on courts No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5.
 
Tara Chilton battled to a 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in over the Tiger's Neha Velaga at the top spot in the lineup.
 
Kim also worked her way to a three-set victory in singles play. The junior earned a 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 win over Isabella Chhiv.
 
Yana Gurevich was the lone Scarlet Knight to earn a straight-sets victory over PU, downing No. 93 Madeleine Jessup by a score of 7-6, 6-4.
 
Doubles vs. Howard
 
Rutgers earned victories on courts No. 1 and No. 2 to clinch the doubles point against the Bison. The duos of Gurevich and Kim, and Chloe Brown and Jackeline Lopez, cruised to 6-2 and 6-1 wins, respectively, over Howard.
 
Arina Valitova and Naomi Karki held a 5-1 advantage on court No. 3 when play was suspended.
 
Singles vs. Howard
 
Rutgers closed out its day by sweeping the Bison in singles play.
 
Lopez, Nguyen, Valitova, and Daira Cardenas all came up with wins in straight-sets, helping to clinch the evening victory. 
 
Karki recorded her first collegiate victory in dual play with a win in three sets over Howard's Nadia Pegram.
 
Brown rounded out the wins for RU, battling back from one-set down to the Bison's Imani Jean, ultimately coming out on top, 3-6, 6-2. 6-4.
 
Results vs. Princeton
 
Doubles

1. No. 40 Isabella Chhiv/Maia Sung (PU) def. Tara Chilton/Yana Gurevich (RU) 6-4
2. Mai Nguyen/Minchae Kim (RU) vs. Leena Bennetto/Eva Elbaz (PU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Neha Velaga/Madeleine Jessup (PU) def. Naomi Karki/Daira Cardenas (RU) 6-1

 
Singles

1. Tara Chilton (RU) def. Neha Velaga (PU) 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
2. Maia Sung (PU) def. Jackeline Lopez (RU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Yana Gurevich (RU) def. No. 93 Madeleine Jessup (PU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Leena Bennetto (PU) def. Mai Nguyen (RU) 6-3, 7-6
5. Minchae Kim (RU) def. Isabella Chhiv (PU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-1
6. Eva Elbaz (PU) def. Naomi Karki (RU) 6-1, 6-3

 
Results vs. Howard
 
Doubles

1. Yana Gurevich/Minchae Kim (RU) def. Nadia Pegram/Imani Jean (Howard) 6-2
2. Chloe Brown/Jackeline Lopez (RU) def. Sifa Butcher/Selah Stibbins (Howard) 6-1
3. Arina Valitova/Naomi Karki (RU) vs. Dana Hall/Ava Chambers (Howard) 5-1, unfinished

 
Singles

1. Jackeline Lopez (RU) def. Sifa Butcher (Howard) 6-2, 7-5
2. Mai Nguyen (RU) def. Ava Chambers (Howard) 6-3, 6-0
3. Daira Cardenas (RU) def. Selah Stibbins (Howard) 6-2, 6-4
4. Naomi Karki (RU) def. Nadia Pegram (Howard) 6-2, 2-6, 6-0
5. Arina Valitova (RU) def. Dana Hall (Howard) 6-2, 6-1
6. Chloe Brown (RU) def. Imani Jean (Howard) 3-6, 6-2. 6-4

 
Knights Notes

• Rutgers has now won 10 of its last 11 home openers.
• The win over Howard marks the first win for either team in the lifetime series.
• With a 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 win over Howard's Pegram, Karki recorded her first collegiate victory in dual play.
• Each of the nine players who took the court in singles play recorded a victory in one of the two duals.

 
Next Up
 
The Scarlet Knights will travel to Newark, N.J. to take on NJIT on Saturday, Jan. 27 (12 p.m.).
 
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