Hawkeyes Battle Back in Singles to Beat Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin – The University of Iowa women’s tennis team won four singles matches and rallied for a 4-3 win Friday in its first road contest of the 2021 conference season. The win was Iowa’s first against the Badgers since 2017 and helped Iowa improve to 2-1 in the Big Ten.

The Badgers earned the doubles point to grab a 1-0 advantage before Iowa went to work in singles.

Samantha Gillas opened with a straight-set, 6-3, 6-1, win at No. 6 to tie the score, 1-1, and after the Badgers crept ahead with a win at the No. 5 singles spot, freshman Alex Noel sparked a string of three consecutive Iowa wins.

Noel defeated Wisconsin’s Xinyu Cai, 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 1 position to improve to 9-0 overall. Samantha Mannix won in straight sets at No. 3, 7-5, 6-3, and Elise van Heuvelen clinched the Iowa victory by winning the final two sets at the No. 2 spot, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

QUOTING @SASHASCHMID 

“It was a good win. Wisconsin is a good team, and it is tough to be on the road and tough to lose the double point. We knew we put ourselves in the hole and had to battle back in singles, but I am proud of our effort. It is going to happen throughout the season, and we must be resilient as a team. Today was the day we had to dig deep. I give a lot of credit to the girls going out there and battling. Elise had a great comeback. We can feel good about today, regroup, and get ready a good Minnesota team.”

UP NEXT 

The Hawkeyes will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota to face the Gophers at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Baseline Tennis Center.

Iowa 4, Wisconsin 2
Feb. 10, 2021 | 3 p.m. | Madison, Wisconsin | Nielsen Tennis Stadium

SINGLES  

1. #97 Alexa Noel (IA) def. Xinyu Cai (W): 6-1, 6-2
2. Elise van Heuvelen (IA) def. Ava Markham (W): 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. Samantha Mannix (IA) def. Antonela Stoica (W): 7-5, 6-3
4. Anna Markarova (W) def. Michelle Bacalla (IA): 5-7, 7-5, 7-0
5. Charmaine Seah (W) def. Vipasha Mehra (IA): 6-3, 6-1
6. Samantha Gillas(IA) def. Jordana Ossa (W): 6-1, 6-3DOUBLES 

1. Semenovski/Cai (W) def. Noel/Mannix (IA): 6-4
2. Van Heuvelen/Gillas (IA) def. Stoica/Makarova (W): 6-3
3. Markham/Seah (W) def. Bauers/Burich (IA): 6-3Order of Finish: Doubles: 3,2,1 Singles: 6,5,1,3,2,4