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At the match point, Viktoriya Kanapatskaya briefly argued with the chair umpire after her forehand was called out. But down 5-6 in a deuce, nothing could be done — she lost the point, and the match was over. She had just lost five straight games, giving up a 5-2 lead in the second set and ultimately losing 3-6, 5-7, to Sara Daavettila, the No. 3-ranked singles player in the nation.

Kanapatskaya’s defeat accurately described Syracuse’s overall performance against No. 1 North Carolina on Friday. Despite coming off two impressive road victories against No. 11 Georgia Tech and Clemson, Syracuse (6-9, 5-7 Atlantic Coast) was unable to challenge undefeated No. 1 North Carolina (21-0, 11-0). The Orange’s 6-9 record, with just one match remaining, means its no longer possible for SU to finish with a winning record. It solidifies the Orange’s first losing season since 2017, too. 

Syracuse head coach Younes Limam switched the order of the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles pairings despite the Orange’s victories against Georgia Tech and Clemson. Sofya Treshcheva and Polina Kozyreva played at No. 1 doubles last weekend, but on Friday afternoon, Natalie Novotna and Kanapatskaya returned to No. 1 doubles for the first time since their 1-6 defeat against No. 12 NC State on March 21. 

For the Orange, those changes proved ineffective. North Carolina steamrolled SU’s No. 1 and No. 2 pairings. 

“We try to have a little bit of a matchup advantage,” Limam said. “But again, UNC, they are very, very deep.”

Novotna and Kanapatskaya picked up two early games but quickly lost 6-2 to North Carolina’s Daavettila and Cameron Morra. Treshcheva and Kozyreva found themselves in a 0-3 hole before a loose ball hit and broke a loose lamp shade above Court 2. This resulted in a delay, and the No. 2 doubles match was soon moved to Court 5. But the pause didn’t halt North Carolina’s momentum, as Treshcheva and Kozyreva lost 6-1 and the Tar Heels secured the doubles point within 40 minutes of the match’s commencement. 

The only sign of life for the Orange — in both doubles and singles — came from sophomore Zeynep Erman in just her third regular season match this year. Erman filled in for Miranda Ramirez, who’s in quarantine and awaiting COVID-19 test results, Limam said.  

At the No. 3 doubles spot, Erman and Guzal Yusupova remained neck-for-neck with North Carolina’s Fiona Crawley and Reilly Tran. But their match remained unfinished because the doubles round was already decided.

“She played on her terms,” Limam said of Erman postgame. “That’s something we talked about quite a bit. Zeynep plays her best when she’s committed to her shots, when she’s playing on her terms.” 

In singles play, Erman earned SU’s only point of the afternoon. She yelled “Come on!” as she took a 6-5 lead in her second set against North Carolina’s Anika Yarlagadda, and she carried that momentum into the final game. She capped off a straight-set victory, 6-4, 7-5. The remainder of SU’s players lost in straight sets.

Despite a solid performance with Erman in doubles, Yusupova lost in straight sets without putting up any real fight, losing 1-6, 2-6 to North Carolina’s Alexa Graham.

In the middle of her first singles set, Novotna was down 40-0 with a 3-4 set score. After three intense rallies, she fought her way back to deuce, only to watch her forehand hit and fall from the wrong side of the net on the next point. She kept pace with Morra but faltered toward the end of both sets, ultimately losing 3-6, 4-6. Both Novotna and Kanapatskaya grew visibly frustrated with certain calls down the stretch, too. 

Kozyreva also struggled, succumbing to Tran’s commanding backhand that dictated point after point, regardless of whether Tran aimed the ball crosscourt or straight down the line. Kozyreva managed to pick up a handful of games in each set but simply couldn’t match the sheer power of Tran’s play, losing 2-6, 3-6. 

Ines Fonte returned to the lineup after a 0-0 defeat against Clemson at No. 5 singles, only to fall without even winning a game. Crawley dominated Fonte from start to finish, winning 6-0, 6-0, well before any of the other singles matches concluded. 

“They’re No. 1 in the country for a reason,” Limam said.

Published on April 9, 2021 at 7:31 pm

Contact Bryan: brbrush@syr.edu