No. 22 Tampa Tennis Notches First Win of Season
ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 22-ranked Tampa Spartans tennis team claimed their first victory of the season, defeating Davenport University 5-2 at the USTA National Training Complex. The Spartans are now 1-3 on the season as Davenport drops to 4-6. The win also marked the first as a Spartan for first-year head coach Tony D'Angelo.
Tampa started the day with a strong performance in doubles, winning two of the three matches to claim the doubles point. The duo of Nicole Cierniak and Victoria Sanchez set the tone with a convincing 6-2 victory over Davenport's top pairing of Sienna Opray and Skye Vandeleur. At No. 3 doubles, Regina Davalos and Sophie Wagner secured a tight 6-4 win over Erin Hack and Valentina Moreno, sealing the early advantage for Tampa. The No. 2 doubles match was a battle, with Amy Bloch and Lotte Federski of Davenport edging out Linn Eriksson Sundling and Tal Zinn 7-5, but the Spartans had already secured the doubles point with victories on courts one and three.
With a 1-0 lead heading into singles, the Spartans capitalized on their momentum, winning four of the six singles matches. At No. 2 singles, Ida Axelsson delivered a steady performance, defeating Amy Bloch in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. Shortly after, Linn Eriksson Sundling dominated Skye Vandeleur at No. 3 singles, dropping just three games in a 6-0, 6-3 victory.
The most dramatic match of the day came at No. 4 singles, where Alexandra Chebli battled Lotte Federski in a back-and-forth contest. Chebli took the first set 7-5, but Federski responded with a 7-5 second-set win. In the decisive super tiebreak, Chebli pulled away, winning 10-4 to claim the match.
Another tight contest occurred at No. 5 singles, where Sophie Wagner fought off a second-set lapse to defeat Erin Hack 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, sealing the overall team victory for Tampa. Davenport picked up wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles. Sienna Opray showcased her dominance in a 6-0, 6-4 win over Sophia Gutkowski, while Valentina Moreno staged a comeback at No. 6 singles, rallying past Regina Davalos 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.