Women’s Tennis Hosts Harvard Invitational

After 26 matches, two injured captains, and three days of intense competition, the Harvard Women’s tennis team finished its home invitational with 15 victories to conclude its fall season.

The Crimson started the tournament aggressively, winning all three doubles matches in the morning against the Air Force Academy.

The doubles selection for this tournament was challenging because junior co-captain Holly Cao, ranked team-best and the 56th best in the nation, was injured. Cao is recovering from a recent surgery and is expected to return to play shortly.

“I feel like we got a chance to mix some doubles teams around, so people got a chance to play with a different partner,” Harvard coach Traci Green said. “So it’s good for the coaches and the players to play with different people out there with different roles.”

In the afternoon, the Crimson lost four of the six singles matches. Junior Samantha Gridley finished off her match with a tiebreak, winning, 6-4, 1-6, 10-6. Sophomore Hideko Tachibana won hers in consecutive sets with a score of 6-3 and 7-6 (4).

On Saturday morning, Harvard claimed two of the three doubles matches over Syracuse. Crimson co-captain Samantha Rosekrans and rookie Hannah Morrill defeated their opponents, 8-2. Alex Lehman and Amanda Black also won their match with a score of 9-7.

Later in the afternoon, the Harvard women outplayed their Air Force opponents in each of the five singles matches. As a result of Cao’s absence, the first court was occupied by Tachibana, ranked 114th nationally. Tachibana made quick work of her opponent Christen Monreal.

During the first set, Tachibana and Monreal participated in a number of long rallies, but Tachibana gained the upper hand, taking the set, 6-2. The second set saw much shorter points, though, with Tachibana clinching the match with a score of 6-1.

“I just got into the match, and I got more confidence from the first set,” Tachibana said.

In contrast, sophomore Kristin Norton was the first Crimson player to win a set but struggled in the second. After winning the opening frame, 6-1, Norton fell behind in the second, 6-5, before rallying to win the next game and the tiebreak, 9-7.

“We got a chance for people who don’t normally play as high up to play high,” Green said. “Hideko Tachibana and Kristin Norton did a good job of stepping up and trying to show leadership out there.”

This weekend’s experience will help strengthen the team in the upcoming spring season and indicate where Harvard stands in terms of the Ivy League. Cornell and Brown also participated in the Harvard Invitational, giving the Crimson a glimpse of its future competition. On Saturday, Tachibana emphasized the team’s desire to establish a strong reputation for the season.

“[Harvard Invitational] is important because it will be a good indicator of how the Ivy League season will go. We need to put our best foot forward,” Tachibana said.

On Sunday, the team had that chance to make an impression, taking on both Ancient Eight opponents in singles. The tension of the singles tournament was almost palpable as junior Samantha Gridley and Brown’s Ariel Caldwell competed in a particularly intense and aggressive match. The two battled for victory with the teammates and coaches fixated on their game as all of the other matches were finished.

Gridley lost the final match of the tournament by a score of 6-3, 6-3, but overall, she added three victories to the Crimson’s tally.

The tournament confirmed to Green that the competition this year will be stiff for the defending Ivy League champions.

“We’re really excited to be playing in the Ivy League this year because it’s going to be very tough,” the coach said. “We’re just looking forward to taking it one match at a time.”