Louka Notches Top-30 Win as Tigers Fall to No. 6 Florida State

Box Score

Clemson, S.C. — Eleni Louka earned the first top-30 win of her career as the Tigers (4-4, 0-1 ACC) dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 6 Florida State (6-1, 1-0 ACC) in the conference opener on Saturday afternoon. In their second meeting this season, Louka topped No. 27 Guila Pairone, 6-3, 6-4, on center court. Entering today, Pairone had only lost one singles match this season to No. 16 Katarina Jokic of Georgia in a three-set thriller. Pairone’s straight-set loss marks her first this season. With the win, Louka improves to 3-7 all-time against ranked opponents.

“Going into the match I was a bit stressed,” said Louka. “I knew she was a really good player because I played her three weeks ago or so. Last night I just said to myself I was gonna go in and play my best and do it for the team. I was trying to be fearless and not look who’s on the opposite side of the court. It honestly hasn’t sunk in yet, it feels unbelievable. I just wanted to win for the team and it feels great.”

Prior to Louka’s victory, the Tigers opened doubles with a win on Court 2 as Mackenzy Middlebrooks and Ali DeSpain defeated Petra Hule and Emanuelle Salas, 6-2. The pair improve to 2-0 as a duo this season. However, Clemson dropped the doubles decision with two-straight losses at No. 3 and 1, respectively.

Of Note:

• Eleni Louka defeats No. 27 Guila Pairone handing her, her first straight-set loss of the season and second loss overall
• Ali DeSpain and Mackenzy Middlebrooks notch their second-straight doubles win
• The Tigers fall to Florida State for the fifth consecutive meeting

Up Next:

The Tigers are back in action at The Duckworth Family Tennis Facility tomorrow when they host Miami and Wofford at noon and 5 p.m, respectively.

For complete coverage of the Clemson women’s tennis team, follow @ClemsonWTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.