Top-Seeded Women’s Tennis Advances to ACC Championship Semifinals

Friday, April 18

Cary, N.C.

10 a.m.

Duke University

Georgia Tech (Quarterfinals)

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Top-Seeded Women’s Tennis Advances to ACC Championship Semifinals

4/18/2025 4:58:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery Ashworth Interview Balus Interview

CARY, N.C. – The top-seeded Duke women's tennis team advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the 30th time in program history Friday as the fourth-ranked Blue Devils registered a 4-1 victory over 29th-ranked Georgia Tech at the Cary Tennis Park in Cary.

After collecting the doubles point, the Blue Devils totaled singles wins by Irina Balus, Emma Jackson and Ellie Coleman to earn the victory. Balus' match-clinching win was the first of her short collegiate career.

Duke improved to 21-2 overall on the season, while the Yellow Jackets dropped to 13-11. The Blue Devils won their 16th match in a row and will next face fourth-seeded and seventh-ranked Virginia Saturday, April 19 at 10 a.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke made a statement early in the contest by taking two of three doubles matches to clinch the doubles point.
On court three, the Blue Devil tandem of Liv Hovde and Emma Jackson continued their impressive play by jumping out to a 5-0 lead and then winning their match, 6-1, against Given Roach and Taly Licht.
After going ahead, 2-1, Duke's Shavit Kimchi and Ava Krug dropped five out of the next six games to fall, 6-3, against Kate Sharabura and Alejandra Cruz on court two.
The doubles point came down to court one with 17th-ranked Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman going up against 61st-ranked Kylie Bilchev and Scarlett Nicholson.Duke came out and won a crucial deuce point to take a 1-0 lead.After going ahead, 2-1, the Blue Devils broke the Yellow Jackets on a deuce point to take a 3-1 lead.Balus and Coleman served for a 4-1 lead, but then dropped a game to cut into the lead, 4-2.Duke came back and didn't lose a point to go ahead, 5-2 and then won a deuce point to win the match, 6-2.
Georgia Tech came out in singles and was able to even the match, 1-1, as Licht posted a 6-3, 6-2 win over Duke's Kimchi on court five.
The Blue Devils then regained the lead as Coleman never trailed on court six as she posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Bilchev.
On court three, Jackson led 2-1 and 3-2 early, but Sharabura evened the score, 4-4.Jackson, who is from La Grange Park, Ill., won a key deuce point to go ahead, 5-4, but Sharabura once again evened the ledger, 5-5.Jackson came through though in the clutch to win the next two games to take the first set, 7-5.In the second, Jackson battled back from being down 4-2 to winning 6-4 to take the victory.
Three courts remained to decide the fate of the match – court one, court two and court four. Duke won the first set on court one, but dropped the first on court two and four.
Balus, ranked No. 18 nationally, faced 88th-ranked Cruz on court two.After Balus took a 2-1 lead early, Cruz battled back to go ahead 4-3.The match was even, 4-4, until Cruz won back-to-back games to take the first set, 6-4.In the second, Balus opened with a 2-0 lead, but fell behind 3-2 and 4-3, before reeling off three-straight wins to even the match with a 6-4 victory.In the third set, Balus took a commanding lead, 5-0, as she broke Cruz in the first game and won two key deuce points.Balus clinched the win with a 6-1 victory to send the Blue Devils into the semifinals.
When the match was clinched, Hovde was in need of just one point to win her match against 23rd-ranked Nicholson, 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 5-3.Eleana Yu was also riding the momentum of winning the second set, 6-3, to even her score as well.

NOTES

Emma Jackson and Liv Hovde won their 12th-consecutive match to move to 13-1 on the season. The duo avenged their only loss of the season, which was their second match playing together.
Duke's Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman totaled their sixth win of the season against a ranked opponent to move to 21-11 overall.
Shavit Kimchi dropped only her second singles match over the last 11 contests.
Ellie Coleman won her 13th-straight singles match to move to 23-6 overall and 81-38 overall in her career.
Emma Jackson totaled her 25th singles win of the season to improve to 25-10 and 87-50 over her career.
Both Jackson and Coleman improved to 3-2 in ACC Championship action over their careers.
In singles, Balus improved to 17-8 overall.It marked her 10th career win against a ranked opponent.
Duke won its 16th-straight match on the season.
The Blue Devils will have a rematch with Virginia Saturday.In the ITA Kickoff in January, the Cavaliers defeated Duke, 4-3, in Charlottesville, Va.

QUOTES

"We knew playing Georgia Tech – it was 4-3 last time and it was down to the last match last time.We got off to a really good start in doubles, especially at three doubles.I think that might have been one of their only conference losses was to Georgia Tech during the year.I think they had that in their minds a little bit as well.When it gets close, I don't think there is any doubt in their mind.They just play, keep playing and keep fighting.Especially, the situation out there today you don't know the score as the scoreboard stopped working.Liv was just trying to fight.You just have to keep playing.I thought they did a good job of not relying on their teammates and they just went out and played tennis.It was good.Georgia Tech is a good team and had given us trouble in the past." -Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth
"Irina went through a little stretch where she struggled a little bit.Liv took her a while to get her feet going.At the end of Liv's match that was some of the best tennis she has played all year.Irina came through huge from the middle of the second set on to all the way through that third set.We need both of them to accomplish the goals this team wants to accomplish." -Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth on the play of the two freshmen
"We played Virginia earlier in the year.We lost to them in a non-conference match.It should be a good match either way.I think we just have to come out, play with confidence and no fear."-Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth

NEXT MATCH

No. 1 seeded Duke will next face No. 4 seeded Virginia Saturday in the semifinals at 10 a.m., in Cary.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWTEN".

#GoDuke

#4 Duke 4, #29 Georgia Tech 1
April 18, 2025
Cary Tennis Park * Cary, N.C.

Doubles
1. #17 Irina Balus/Ellie Coleman (DUKE) def. #61 Kylie Bilchev/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 6-2
2. Kate Sharabura/Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. Shavit Kimchi/Ava Krug (DUKE) 6-3
3. Liv Hovde/Emma Jackson (DUKE) def. Given Roach/Taly Licht (GT) 6-1

Singles
1. #60 Liv Hovde (DUKE) vs. #23 Scarlett Nicholson (GT) 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 5-3 unfinished
2. #18 Irina Balus (DUKE) def. #88 Alejandra Cruz (GT) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
3. #25 Emma Jackson (DUKE) def. Kate Sharabura (GT) 7-5, 6-4
4. #67 Eleana Yu (DUKE) vs. Given Roach (GT) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 0-0 unfinished
5. Taly Licht (GT) def. #83 Shavit Kimchi (DUKE) 6-3, 6-2
6. #115 Ellie Coleman (DUKE) def. Kylie Bilchev (GT) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1*), Singles (5,6,3,2*)