No. 6 Duke Defeats Charlotte (7-0) to Open Season

Thursday, January 14

Durham, N.C.

2:00 PM

Duke University

Charlotte

No. 6 Duke Defeats Charlotte (7-0) to Open Season

1/14/2021 7:07:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

DURHAM, N.C. – The sixth-ranked Duke women's tennis team kicked off the 2021 season on a high note, defeating Charlotte (7-0) Thursday afternoon in the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Stadium.

"It was great to be able to compete," head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "There's been so much work put into allowing us to compete on the administrative level at Duke. Our girls cherish and value that and are extremely appreciative of everything that everyone at Duke has done to give us this opportunity. I remember the last match we played against William & Mary and you never know when it's going to be taken away from you. The mindset is different because of that because they had something they love taken away from them. You can see it when they play. There's a joy and a level of appreciation that maybe wasn't all the way there before."

Duke got off to a quick start by capturing the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles. Kelly Chen and Georgia Drummy defeated Kaavya Sawhney and Maddie Brown (6-0) on court three before Chloe Beck and Karolina Berankova secured a 6-3 win over Margaux Maquet and Jenna Dean. Duke closed out doubles with a 6-2 win on court two as Meible Chi and Margaryta Bilokin defeated Rocio Safont and Emma Wilkins.

Drummy was first off the court for the Blue Devils in singles. Ranked No. 28 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Drummy defeated Sawhney (6-1, 6-2) on court three before No. 44 Bilokin secured a 6-1, 6-0 court five win against Emma Scott.

Graduate student Chi was next to finish for the Blue Devils to give them a 4-0 lead and clinch the match. Tabbed No. 111 by the ITA, Chi played to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Wilkins on Duke's fourth court. Shortly after, No. 8 Chen picked up a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Safont on the top court.

Rookie No. 95 Berankova closed out the match with a 7-6 (9), 6-1 win over Dean on court six.

"We're just trying to get as much match play as we possibly can," Ashworth said. "There's only so many things you can simulate in practice. The intent is to put us in match play situations … not worry about wins or losses but do things the right way. We're looking to keep building and playing to a standard. The wins and losses will come. We have a talented group."

Duke will return to action as individuals this weekend at the UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill.

For more information on Duke women's tennis, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeWTEN".

#GoDuke

Tennis Match Results
Charlotte vs Duke
Jan 14, 2021 at Durham, N.C.
(Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center)

#6 Duke 7, Charlotte 0

Singles competition
1. #8 Kelly Chen (DU) def. Rocio Safont (CLT) 6-3, 6-4
2. #29 Chloe Beck (DU) def. Margaux Maquet (CLT) 6-4, 6-3
3. #28 Georgia Drummy (DU) def. Kaavya Sawhney (CLT) 6-1, 6-2
4. #111 Meible Chi (DU) def. Emma Wilkins (CLT) 6-2, 6-1
5. #44 Margaryta Bilokin (DU) def. Emma Scott (CLT) 6-1, 6-0
6. #95 Karolina Berankova (DU) def. Jenna Dean (CLT) 7-6 (11-9), 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Chloe Beck/Karolina Berankova (DU) def. Margaux Maquet/Jenna Dean (CLT) 6-3
2. Meible Chi/Margaryta Bilokin (DU) def. Rocio Safont/Emma Wilkins (CLT) 6-2
3. Kelly Chen/Georgia Drummy (DU) def. Kaavya Sawhney/Maddie Brown (CLT) 6-0

Match Notes:
Charlotte 0-1
Duke 1-0; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,5,4,2,1,6)