No. 2 Women’s Tennis Tops No. 5 Georgia

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 2 University of North Carolina women’s tennis team now sits at 12-0 on the season following its 5-2 victory over No. 5 Georgia at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center on Wednesday evening. 

Despite trailing after a Bulldog win on court one, the Tar Heels stormed back to earn the opening point and remain undefeated in doubles this season. Abbey Forbes and Reilly Tran evened things up after a hard-fought 6-4 win over Anastasiia Lopata and Ania Hertel in the third spot. 

Fiona Crawley and Carson Tanguilig proved why they are the No. 1-ranked duo in the country. After falling behind 5-3 on the second court, the pair had a gritty comeback by winning four straight to clinch the point in a 7-5 victory over Meg Kowalski and Mell Reasco. 

No. 8 Tanguilig carried that momentum into singles as she swiftly extended UNC’s lead to 2-0 following a 6-4, 6-2 win over Reasco on court three. However, the visiting team got itself within one after No. 31 Dasha Vidmanova outlasted Reese Brantmeier 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second spot.  

Forbes, the fifth-ranked player in the nation, quickly put the Tar Heels back up by two after her 7-6(7-5), 6-4 victory over No. 100 Kowalski on court four. 

Despite dropping the first set, 3-6, to Ania Hertel in the fifth position, No. 58 Elizabeth Scotty bounced back for a pair of 6-4 sets to clinch it for Carolina. It was her second clinching point of the season.

Deciding to play out the match, Tran picked up a 62, 4-6, 6-4 win over Lopata in the sixth spot to seal a 5-2 win. 

Next, the Tar Heels travel to Seattle, Washington, for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship from Feb. 10-13 at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on Washington’s campus. UNC has won the last three championship titles and six in the past 10 seasons.

Singles

1. No. 19 Ma (UGA) def. No. 1 Crawley (UNC), 2-6, 7-6(8-6), 6-1

2. No. 31 Vidmanova (UGA) def. Brantmeier (UNC), 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

3. No. 8 Tanguilig (UNC) def. Reasco (UGA), 6-4, 6-2

4. No. 5 Forbes (UNC) def. No. 100 Kowalski (UGA), 7-6(7-5), 6-4

5. No. 58 Scotty (UNC) def. Hertel (UGA), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

6. No. 48 Tran (UNC) def. No. 64 Lopata (UGA)

Order of finish: 3, 2, 4, 5*, 1, 6 

Doubles 

1. Grant/Nirundorn (UGA) def. Scotty/Brantmeier (UNC), 6-3 

2. No. 1 Crawley/Tanguilig (UNC) def. Kowalskia/Reasco (UGA), 7-5

3. Forbes/Tran (UNC) def….