ANN ARBOR, Mich.  — The No. 12-seeded Rutgers women's tennis team (12-11, 3-9 B1G) edged No. 13 Michigan State (10-16, 1-11 B1G), 4-3, in a back-and-forth battle in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minchae Kim clinched the victory for RU, breaking a 3-3 tie with a win on the fifth court.

MINCH DELIVERS IN THE THIRD SET!! WE CLINCH THE MATCH 🚨

RU 4, MSU 3#GoRU | #RTennis | #B1GWTennis pic.twitter.com/a1sqDiMdUa

— Rutgers Tennis (@RutgersTennis) April 24, 2024

 
"We let up a little bit in doubles play to lose the point," said head coach Hilary Ritchie. "However, the players were mentally tough to earn four first sets in singles. Fast starts are incredibly important."
 
"Minchae played an aggressive third set to clinch the match. It was a great example of a team effort, and we're looking forward to playing Illinois again."
 
The win marks the second-straight season RU has defeated MSU in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. It is also the second conference tournament win for Ritchie since taking over the program in 2016.
 
Doubles
 
The Spartans earned a hard-fought doubles point, winning on the first and third courts.
 
Tara Chilton and Kim earned a 6-1 victory on the second court in the round.
 
Singles
 
Yana Gurevich equalized the dual early in the singles round, defeating MSU's Liisa Vehvilainen, 6-1, 6-4. Mai Nguyen was not far behind, winning her match, 6-2, 6-2, just moments later to put RU in front, 2-1.
 
The Spartans would not trail for long, as they earned a straight-sets victory on court No. 2 to equalize the dual at two points apiece.
 
Jackeline Lopez gave Rutgers the edge, 3-2, with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ayshe Can at the sixth court, but Michigan State answered again, winning on court No. 3 to stay alive.
 
Court No. 5 was the lone match to go into a third set, with Kim and opponent Natalie Stasny splitting the first two frames. The Scarlet Knight went on to clinch the dual and send her team to the second round with her 6-2 third-set win.
 
Results
 
Doubles

1. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Yana Gurevich/Mai Nguyen (RU) 7-5
2. Tara Chilton/Minchae Kim (RU) def. Matilde Morais/Nicole Conard (MSU) 6-1
3. Natalie Stasny /Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Amira Badawi/Naomi Karki (RU) 7-6 (8)

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
 
Singles

1. Yana Gurevich (RU) def. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Matilde Morais (MSU) def. Tara Chilton (RU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Ria Bhakta (MSU) def. Amira Badawi (RU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Mai Nguyen (RU) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Minchae Kim (RU)  def. Natalie Stasny (MSU)  6-2, 2-6, 6-2
6. Jackeline Lopez (RU) def. Ayshe Can (MSU) 6-3, 6-3

Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 6, 3, 5
 
Knights Notes

• Rutgers win marks the second-consecutive season it has advanced to the second round of the conference tournament.
• The win also signifies the second-straight season RU has downed Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Rutgers' victory is the second conference tournament win for head coach Ritchie since she stepped into the position in 2016.
• Nguyen's victory marks her second singles win in Big Ten Tournament play.
• Gurevich, Kim, and Lopez all earned their first-career Big Ten Tournament singles wins.
• Gurevich, Kim, and Nguyen all recorded their team-leading 11th single victories of the spring.

Next Up

RU advances to take on No. 5 Illinois in the tournament's second round. The match is set for Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m.

The two teams matched up this campaign on March 17, with the Illini recording a 4-2 win. Gurevich and Kim recorded singles victories in the loss.

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