Tigers Honor Three Seniors with Senior Day Upset Over No. 31 Syracuse

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CLEMSON, S.C. – On a day that the program celebrated three special seniors prior to the match, team captain Fernanda Navarro, Marie-Alexandre Leduc and Ally Miller-Krasilnikov, the Clemson women’s tennis team honored those seniors with a 4-3 Senior Day upset over 31^st-ranked Syracuse on Sunday afternoon at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. With the win, the Tigers concluded the 2019 regular season at 10-14 (4-10 ACC), while the Orange dropped to 12-11 (5-9 ACC) with the loss.

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“What a day for our Tigers!!!" said Head Coach Nancy Harris. "Our team came out ready to battle with a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish. The doubles matches were close on No. 2 and 3, and our No. 1 team was magical today, playing some of their best tennis. Marie and Fer are a tremendous senior team that we will dearly miss. Every Tiger was part of the victory today which made the win truly special, and especially because it was Senior Day in Clemson. Our team accomplished their goal of winning both matches this weekend to create momentum going into the ACC Championships. Congratulations to our Tigers and especially to our three wonderful seniors Marie Leduc, Fernanda Navarro and Ally Miller-Krasilnikov.”

In doubles play, seniors Leduc and Navarro, ranked eighth nationally, wasted no time at No. 1 doubles, defeating Syracuse’s 56^th-ranked team of Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez, 6-1. A pair of sophomores, Alex Angyalosy and Laura Marti, clinched the doubles point for the Tigers at No. 3, with a 6-4 victory over the Orange. Miller-Krasilnikov and Sydney Riley were leading a 6-5 battle at No. 2 doubles over their Syracuse opponent that was ranked 90^th nationally, when play was halted.

Navarro continued her momentum straight into singles play, picking up a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 2 to give Clemson a 2-0 lead. Juniors Sydney Riley and Tate Schroeder followed Navarro’s lead, winning their matches at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, in straight sets, to provide the third and fourth points and solidify the upset for the Tigers. While the Orange rebounded with three singles wins, it was not without a fight. Leduc, ranked 82^nd nationally, forced three sets against 19^th-ranked Gabriela Knutson at No. 1 singles, nearly earning the upset, 4-6, 6-1, 1-0(8). At No. 3 singles, Miller-Krasilnikov battled against a ranked opponent of her own, falling 7-5, 7-5 to 100^th-ranked Miranda Ramirez.

OF NOTE

• With their win at No. 1 doubles on Sunday, the Tigers’ senior duo of Marie-Alexandre Leduc and Fernanda Navarro improved to 15-5 in dual matches and 8-4 in ACC dual matches in 2019, and to 27-8 overall in 2018-19.
• With her win at No. 2 singles, Navarro improved to 11-7 in dual singles matches, and has won her last three singles matches in a row.
• Junior Sydney Riley went 2-0 in singles play on the weekend, defeating her Pitt and Syracuse opponents on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
• While she did not come out victorious on Sunday, Leduc nearly pulled off the three-set upset over a highly-talented and 19^th-ranked Knutson of Syracuse. One week ago, on April 7, Leduc was just as close to upsetting 13^th-ranked Kenya Jones of Georgia Tech in three sets. The senior has played all but one dual match at No. 1 singles in 2019, facing many of the nation’s highest-ranked singles players.

UP NEXT
The Tigers are the No. 12 seed in the upcoming ACC Championships, and face the No. 13 seed, Virginia Tech, on Wednesday, April 17. The match will be played at 11:30 a.m. at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.