DURHAM, N.C.– For Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson, the 2024 fall season marks more than just their final year at Duke — it’s a culmination of dedication, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. This fall, the two seniors etched their names into history as they qualified for the inaugural NCAA Fall Singles Championship.
In previous years, the singles and doubles championship took place immediately after the NCAA Team Championship in late May, but the NCAA is experimenting with this pilot program for two years to see how this schedule works.
Jackson is one of four Blue Devils to secure a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship, after a hard-fought 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Malak El Allami of Columbia in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Sectionals at the Chewning Tennis Center in Chapel Hill. The win underscored Jackson’s resilience and skill as she clinched her second career appearance in NCAA singles and her first since her sophomore season.
“It was my last opportunity to qualify and I did it on the last opportunity actually to qualify,” Jackson shared. “So, it means a lot and we’ve been putting in a lot of work this fall. It’s really rewarding.”
A native of La Grange Park, Ill., Jackson will head to Waco, Texas, for the tournament held Nov. 19-24. She last competed in the NCAA Singles Championship in 2023 and enters this year’s event with a career singles record of 74-44.
Coleman, who qualified in doubles, also secured her place with an impressive performance in the ITA Sectionals.
Alongside her doubles partner, Irina Balus, Coleman earned an invitation to the NCAA Doubles Championship with a come-from-behind victory against Penn’s Esha Velaga and Lara Stojanovski.
After losing the first set 1-6, Coleman and Balus rallied to win 6-4, 10-2 in the semifinals, earning their place in the finals and the automatic NCAA bid. The Duke duo have registered an impressive 7-1 ledger so far this fall teaming together.
“I’m excited. It’s been a goal of mine since coming into college to make the individual tournament and so this is my last chance, especially having it be in the fall. I know Emma (Jackson) and I were talking last January, and we were like, ‘Wait, all of our chances to qualify are in this calendar year,…
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