PERRYSBURG – The Bowling Green State University tennis team (4-5) extended their win streak to three matches with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Wayne State Warriors (9-1) on Friday at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
Diana Ivanikhina paced the Falcons with wins in doubles and singles, with her singles victory coming in exciting fashion. With the match tied, 3-3, the freshman was knotted with Suki Mandair at No. 6 singles, 4-6, 6-4.
Ivanikhina took control in the tiebreak set, dominating with a 6-0 win that gave the Falcons their third consecutive triumph. All three wins have had a final score of 4-3. This also marked WSU’s first loss of the season.
Ioanna Tsadari and Eloise Saraty started the day with a 6-0 victory in No. 1 doubles, making quick work of Anais Ruyssen and Marta Komar. This is the duo’s third consecutive victory, giving them a 4-1 mark this spring. It also marked the 50th total win of the year for the Falcons.
At No. 2 doubles, Lucy Furness and Leticia Fonseca dropped a hard-fought battle, 7-5, in their first match together.
Also playing their first match together were Maru Poppe and Diana Ivanikhina, who took a thrilling 7-6 (2) win over Martyna Szpakowska and Shanice Weekes at No. 3 doubles to secure BGSU’s first point of the day. With that win, the Falcons stand at 14-13 in doubles play this spring.
Eloise Saraty tallied a win at No. 2 singles when Marta Komar retired. The win gives Saraty a 5-0 record at No. 2 singles and a team-best 18 combined wins this season. In the last three matches, she has a combined record of 6-0.
The next Falcon to notch a singles win was Leticia Fonseca, who had a 6-4, 6-2 win over Shanice Weekes at No. 5. This is Fonseca’s first career win at No. 5 and gives her an overall singles record of 5-4.
Ivanikhina closed the day with her three-set thriller, securing BGSU’s fourth win of the year, matching the total from last season. The win marked the first singles victory of her career.
“Huge win for the Falcons today that pushes our win streak to three,” BGSU coach Mike Bonnell said. “Huge individual accomplishments for Diana Ivanikhina. She got inserted into the lineup and produced a doubles and singles victory which clinched the win for BG.”
The Falcons head to Florida for a pair of non-conference matches. On Monday, they will be hosted by Ave Maria at 1 p.m. The following morning, they travel to Lake Nona, Florida, for an 8 a.m. match with Providence.
