CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's tennis began their 2023-24 season today on their home courts of Beren Tennis Center with the first day of the Harvard Fall Classic.  The Crimson looked strong to the begin the year winning two doubles matches and five singles matches.  Four of the team's five singles wins came from the Crimson first-years.

Harvard Highlights

• Stephanie Yakoff kicked off her collegiate career in the morning session, defeating Gulbransen/Bakaityte (BU), 6-3, with doubles partner, Iveta Daujotaite.  Shortly after, the first-year captured a strong 6-2, 6-3 victory over Rhea Rai (BU). 
• Kate Kim added a Crimson win by defeating Victoire de Samucewicz (Cincinnati) in a pair of 6-3 sets. 
• Closing out the day, Natalie Block and Kavya Karra won a pair of battles against their Cincinnati opponents.  Block pulled out the win with a strong third set after dropping the second, ultimately winning, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.  Both of Karra's sets were neck and neck with the first-year ultimately grabbing the win 7-5, 7-6 (2). 

Harvard Results

Doubles
Iveta Daujotaite/Stephanie Yakoff def. Kaitlin Tan/ Blanka DeMicheli (BU), 6-4
Elizabeth Pendergast/Morgan Pyrz (Cincinnati) Natalie Block/Kate Kim, 6-3
Sany Gawande/Holly Fischer def. Victoire de Samucewicz/Callie Flanagan (Cincinnati), 7-6 (6-1)
Rozalia Gruszczynska/Gabrielle Guenther (Cincinnati) def. Charlotte Owensby/Kavya Karra, 6-3
 
Singles
Blanka DeMicheli (BU) def. Iveta Daujotaite, 6-0, 6-2
Stephanie Yakoff def. Rhea Rai (BU), 6-2, 6-3
Nina Gulbransen (BU)def. Elsie Ragatz, 6-1, 6-0
Elizabeth Pendergast (Cincinnati) def. No. 109 Charlotte Owensby, 6-2, 6-2
Kate Kim def. Victoire de Samucewicz (Cincinnati), 6-3, 6-3
Holly Fischer def. Rozalia Gruszczynska (Cincinnati), 6-3, 6-4
Gabrielle Guenther (Cincinnati) def. Sany Gawande, 6-1, 6-1
Natalie Block def. Morgan Pyrz (Cincinnati), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Kavya Karra def. Sakurako Watanabe (Cincinnati), 7-5, 7-6 (2)
Isabel Pacheco (Cincinnati) def. Angel You, 7-5, 6-4
 

Full Day 1 Results

A.M. Session

Doubles
Sophia Edwards/Stephanie Sanchez (BC) def. Michaelle Kleynerman/ Victoria Carlsten (BU), 6-1
Iveta Daujotaite/Stephanie Yakoff def. Kaitlin Tan/ Blanka DeMicheli (BU), 6-4
Nina Gulbransen/Uma Bakaityte (BU) def. Natalie Eordekian/ Tola Glowacka (BC), 6-3
 
Singles
Michaelle Kleynerman (BU) def. Nada Dimovska (BC), 6-2, 6-1
Victoria Carlsten (BU) def. Muskan Mahajan (BC), 6-1, 6-1
Natalie Eordekian (BC) def. Kaitlin Tan (BU), 6-2, 6-1
Tola Glowacka (BC) def. Uma Bakaityte (BU), 6-4, 6-3
Blanka DeMicheli (BU) def. Iveta Daujotaite, 6-0, 6-2
Stephanie Yakoff def. Rhea Rai (BU), 6-2, 6-3
Nina Gulbransen (BU)def. Elsie Ragatz, 6-1, 6-0

P.M. Session

Doubles
Elizabeth Pendergast/Morgan Pyrz (Cincinnati) Natalie Block/Kate Kim, 6-3
Sany Gawande/Holly Fischer def. Victoire de Samucewicz/Callie Flanagan (Cincinnati), 7-6 (6-1)
Rozalia Gruszczynska/Gabrielle Guenther (Cincinnati) def. Charlotte Owensby/Kavya Karra, 6-3
 
Singles
Elizabeth Pendergast (Cincinnati) def. No. 109 Charlotte Owensby, 6-2, 6-2
Kate Kim def. Victoire de Samucewicz (Cincinnati), 6-3, 6-3
Holly Fischer def. Rozalia Gruszczynska (Cincinnati), 6-3, 6-4
Gabrielle Guenther (Cincinnati) def. Sany Gawande, 6-1, 6-1
Natalie Block def. Morgan Pyrz (Cincinnati), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Kavya Karra def. Sakurako Watanabe (Cincinnati), 7-5, 7-6 (2)
Isabel Pacheco (Cincinnati) def. Angel You, 7-5, 6-4
 

Next Up

Inclement weather pushed play at the Harvard Fall Classic indoors to the Murr Center.  The morning session will begin at 10:00 a.m. and Harvard will see the majority of its action in the afternoon session starting at 2:00 p.m.