W. Tennis Set for Stanford in Round of 16

The Harvard’s women’s tennis team has a date with a dynasty.

Tomorrow’s opponent Stanford has won 12 NCAA Championships in the tournament’s 21-year history, including the last two national titles. This year’s Cardinal team has not let down despite graduating three of its top six singles players from a year ago. The two teams will meet at 2 p.m. at Gainseville, Fla., tomorrow in the NCAA Sweet 16.

The off-the-court news for Harvard has not been promising. On Monday, the team learned that sophomore Alexis Martire, who plays at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles, will be unable to travel due to a serious case of tonsillitis. Martire played in Harvard’s first and second round NCAA victories this past weekend despite the illness.

Due to Martire’s absence, No. 6 Melissa Anderson, No. 5 Sanja Bajin and No. 4 Eva Wang will all have to move up a spot in the singles lineup. The freshmen Wang and Anderson will also move up to No. 2 doubles. The captain Bajin will play at No. 3 doubles with freshman Lyly Cao Minh, who is also playing No. 6 singles.

“Obviously [Alexis’ absence] is going to make things harder,” Bajin said. “Alexis has so much to offer, not just in terms in playing No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles, but also in terms of enthusiasm, and support.”

“But we’re going to give it our best shot anyway,” Bajin added.

The news is better on the injury front for Bajin. After an undefeated singles regular season, Bajin injured her back last Tuesday and played for just 30 minutes between then and Saturday’s NCAA match. She suffered her first defeat this spring against Arizona, a result that Graham says merits an asterisk.

Bajin said she was feeling better yesterday. But she has a tough foe upcoming in Alice Barnes—Stanford’s No. 4 player and the nation’s No. 11—who is undefeated this spring.

Stanford, like Harvard, has a very young lineup. Not a single player on the Cardinal roster is a senior. Both Barnes and Stanford’s No. 1, Amber Liu, are freshmen.

Though Harvard is young, some of its players have experience against Stanford from a 6-1 defeat last season. The Crimson was competitive against the Cardinals at the top three singles spots. As freshmen, Susanna Lingman won her match at No. 2 and Courtney Bergman suffered a close two-set defeat at No. 1.

A year ago, Harvard struggled at the No. 4 through No. 6 spots. But this year’s Crimson team is far deeper, even with Martire’s injury. Wang and Anderson have been on a roll, and Bajin had been, too, prior to her injury. Minh, at No. 6 for Harvard, is the wild card for Harvard—she has yet to play a singles match this spring.

Harvard has advanced further this year than it ever has since the women’s field expanded to 64 teams. Although there is the desire to make the most of this opportunity, this event can also serve as a stepping-stone for the future. Since Bajin is the only senior earning consistent playing time, five of this year’s core players could remain together for the next two years.

“Whether we beat Stanford or not, it’s a great experience,” Graham said. “It’s only going to make us better for next year.”

—Staff writer David R. De Remer can be reached at remer@fas.harvard.edu.