MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 49-ranked University of Denver women's tennis team (7-5, 1-0 Summit) closed its seven-match road trip with a 5-2 loss at Minnesota on Sunday morning.
Once again, the doubles point came down to the third match to finish up, seeing Minnesota take it with a 6-3 win. The host team extended their lead to 2-0 overall before DU got on the board at No. 1 singles, but the Gophers went on to clinch the win at 4-1 before the match ultimately ended with another point for each team.
Doubles:
Denver repeated its doubles lineup from its first match of the weekend and saw the No. 3 team of senior
Hana Bečirovič Novak and sophomore
Natálie Cinková earn a dominant 6-0 win, their second victory in as many days after having only teamed up once previously.
Minnesota drew level at No. 1 doubles, leaving the No. 2 match to determine which team would win the day's first point. After a couple exchanged breaks, the Gophers broke from 4-2 and went on to seal with, 6-3.
Singles:
DU continued to battle all the way through singles, pushing three of the matches to third sets.
Minnesota claimed the first singles win, doing so at No. 2 singles, but Denver's No. 1
Louise Wikander gave DU its first point of the day with a 6-2 6-4 win – her eighth of the dual season thus far and her second in a row in straight sets. A stretch of three straight games won midway through the first set helped her to that 6-2 win, though the second set proved tougher, forcing the senior to rally from an 0-3 deficit before winning six of the final eight games to secure the win.
The last match to end in straight sets went to Minnesota, giving the Gophers a 3-1 lead overall. Senior
Zoe Adkins, playing in her home state, won the first set at No. 3 singles but went on to drop the next two sets in what was the clinching point.
Cinkova had started a rally from a set down in the No. 5 spot, winning the second set to force a decider, but a quick break down ultimately ended with a win for Minnesota.
Denver did earn a second point on the day from freshman
Yunfei Cai, who successfully completed a comeback from a set down, turning the tide in the second set with a 4-1 lead on her way to a 6-2 win. In the third set, she earned the critical break to go up 3-2 to begin what was a four-game win streak to close it out.
Up Next:
The No. 49-ranked University of Denver women's tennis team returns home for the first time in a month to host its Summit League home opener against South Dakota on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. MT at Denver Tennis Park.
