MEDFORD - The 10th-ranked Tufts University women's tennis team earned a 6-3 victory against #4 Emory University in a match played indoors at the Gantcher Center on Sunday afternoon.
Tufts' Tilly Rigby (pictured) won the first singles match against the #1 ranked player in the country - Emory's Eliza McPherron - to give the Jumbos a 4-2 lead in the match. Emory's Emma Cartledge then took a tie-breaker over Jumbo Elle Christensen 6-4, 7-6 (7) to win in second singles and close the team score to 4-3. With the fifth and sixth matches left to determine the final result, both Emory players had to retire and those matches went to Tufts (10-2) for the 6-3 final score.
Emory (6-8) had taken an early 1-0 lead with an 8-3 doubles win by Christina Watson and Ana Cristina Perez over Rigby and Christensen. However, the Jumbos won the other two doubles contests decisively to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. Maggie Dorr and Caroline Garrido won 8-4 at #2, and Nicki Frankel with Rebecca Lim earned an 8-3 final in third doubles.
Frankel then won to get singles started at #4 6-2, 7-5 giving the Jumbos a 3-1 lead. Emory narrowed the margin to 3-2 with a Watson victory in third singles 6-3, 6-3. Then came Rigby's #1 match victory, which was pivotal at the time before the retirements decided the outcome.
Tufts continues a seven-match homestand to finish the regular-season by hosting Washington and Lee on Wednesday.
