WTEN: Tigers Open 2026 Season with 7-0 Win Over Mercer

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Women’s Tennis opened its 51st varsity season with a 7-0 dual match victory over Mercer on Friday at the Duckworth Family Tennis Center. The Tigers claimed the doubles point and then followed with a singles sweep in Head Coach Boomer Saia’s 94th career victory, and 28th at Clemson. Clemson surrendered just 20 total games in six singles matches, and four Tigers earned their first career singles wins in dual match play.

Sophomore Gaia Parravicini and Senior Romana Cisovka opened up their doubles season with a 6-1 win on court two, and Talia Neilson-Gatenby Ria Bhakta combined to clinch the point with a 6-1 win on court three. Jade Groen, a senior transfer from Western Carolina, and true freshman Rinon Okuwaki led their match 4-1 when the point was clinched. 

In singles, all six Tigers raced out to first-set victories, with Groen finishing first on court one with a 6-0, 6-2 win. Neilson-Getenby finished minutes later on court five with a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Bhakta, the nation’s 71st-ranked singles player, earned the clinching point, 6-1, 6-3 on court three in her first dual match appearance in more than a year.  

Romana Cisovska followed up with a 6-3, 6-0 on court two, and Okuwaki finished moments later with a 6-2, 6-1 win on court five. Parravicini closed with a 6-4, 6-1 victory to complete the match. 

From Coach Saia:

“Getting a chance to start out 1-0, you have a bunch of folks that have just been waiting to play here for a couple months and get back on the court. It was fun to break off any of the nerves and rust but I think they really enjoyed it. We were ready. As you finish early November, it’s a weird two month stretch where there’s not much tennis. For us to get back out here and do a really, really great job, mentally and physically across the doubles and singles.”

UP NEXT: Clemson returns to action Sunday with a doubleheader against Charlotte (10 a.m.) and Western Carolina (2:30 p.m.). Admission is free and open to the public, and there will be free coffee and breakfast treats available at the door. 

📺  Live Stream (Charlotte) | Live Stream (WCU)

📊  Live Stats (Charlotte) | Live Stats (WCU)

Doubles (Order of Finish: 2,3):

1. GROEN/OKUWAKI (CLEM) led DE DIEGO QUINONES/HOMBERG (MER), 4-0 (unfinished)
2. PARRAVICINI/CISOVSKA (CLEM) def. ZIVIC/TSITAVETS (MER), 6-1
3. NEILSON-GATENBY/BHAKTA (CLEM) def. GOJKOVIC/BANNMEYER (MER), 6-1

Singles (Order of Finish: 1,5,3*,2,4,6)

1. GROEN (CLEM) def. DE DIEGO QUINONES (MER), 6-0, 6-2
2. CISOVSKA (CLEM) def. ZIVIC (MER), 6-3, 6-0
3. #71 BHAKTA (CLEM) def. GOJKOVIC (MER), 6-1, 6-3
4. OKUWAKI (CLEM) def. HOMBERG (MER), 6-2, 6-1
5. NEILSON-GATENBY (CLEM) def. BANNMEYER (MER), 6-1, 6-2
6. PARRAVICINI (CLEM) def. TALAKI (MER), 6-4, 6-1