Blue Devils Advance to ACC Semifinal with 4-2 Win Over No. 24 Wake Forest

Friday, April 22

Rome, Ga.

6 p.m.

Duke University

Wake Forest

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Advance to ACC Semifinal with 4-2 Win Over No. 24 Wake Forest

4/22/2022 11:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Final Box (PDF)

ROME, Ga. – No. 5 Duke women's tennis took care of business in its match against No. 24 Wake Forest, downing the Demon Deacons, 4-2, Friday evening in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Women's Tennis Championships at the Rome Tennis Center.

Graduate student Eliza Omirou and senior Margaryta Bilokin got things going for Duke as the doubles tandem tallied a 6-2 victory over Mia Ahmad and Carolyn Campana at the No. 3 doubles spot. However, the Demon Deacons managed to collect the doubles point as No. 7 Anna Brylin and Brooke Killingsworth and No. 34 Samantha Martinelli and Casie Wooten earned wins in flights one (6-3) and two (6-4) to give the team a 1-0 lead.

"Hats off to Wake Forest because they came out and took it to us right away in doubles and knocked us back," said head coach Jamie Ashworth. "I think that's the negative of having a double bye – you're playing a team that has a match under their belt, used to the courts and the facilities, along with the energy and excitement of the ACC Tournament. They did a really great job of getting on top of us in doubles."

Duke immediately responded as the action shifted to singles, scoring three straight victories to swing the momentum back in its favor. Kelly Chen was the first to answer the bell, as the 100th-ranked senior made quick work of Brylin (6-0, 6-1) in flight four to tie the match at one apiece.

Junior Chloe Beck and senior Georgia Drummy finished next on the top two courts and added two more points to the Blue Devils' total. Playing in flight one for the second consecutive match and fourth time this year, No. 8 Beck controlled her match from start to finish and bested C. Campana 6-1,6-3. No. 14 Drummy was locked in a tightly-contested battle with Anna Campana in the second slot but was able to pull out a 6-4, 6-4 win for a 3-1 Duke advantage.

Killingsworth cut the Duke lead to one following her 6-3, 6-4 win on court six, but the Blue Devils clinched the match shortly after behind No. 124 Emma Jackson's triumph over No. 93 Wooten in the No. 3 singles spot. The first set was a back-and-forth affair with the conference foes splitting the first eight games, before Jackson took two of the next three games to score a 7-5 decision. The second set saw Wooten grab an early 2-1 advantage, but her lead wouldn't last as Jackson rattled off five of the next six games to secure the victory.

"We answered the call in singles – we had to," Ashworth added. "I thought that we handled the adversity well, kept our emotions in check and were vocal and supportive of each other. We just grinded through and got a win. We didn't play our best tennis, but we were emotionally invested at a high level, and we were able to right the ship and grind out a hard-fought win."

Up Next
The Blue Devils advance to the semifinal contest and will take on No. 3 seed Miami Saturday at 2 p.m.

RESULTS
Singles (4,1,2,6,3*)
1. #8 Chloe Beck (DU) def. #37 Carolyn Campana (WF) 6-1, 6-3
2. #14 Georgia Drummy (DU) def. Anna Campana (WF) 6-4, 6-4
3. #124 Emma Jackson (DU) def. #93 Casie Wooten (WF) 7-5, 6-3
4. #100 Kelly Chen (DU) def. Anna Brylin (WF) 6-0, 6-1
5. Margaryta Bilokin (DU) vs. Samantha Martinelli (WF) 6-4, 1-6, 3-3, unfinished
6. Brooke Killingsworth (WF) def. Ellie Coleman (DU) 6-3, 6-4

Doubles (3,1,2)
1. #7 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) def. #31 Georgia Drummy/Karolina Berankova (DU) 6-3
2. #34 Samantha Martinelli/Casie Wooten (WF) def. #27 Chloe Beck/Ellie Coleman (DU) 6-4
3. Eliza Omirou/Margaryta Bilokin (DU) def. Mia Ahmad/Carolyn Campana (WF) 6-2

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