CAMBRIDGE, MA (September 14, 2024) -- First-year
Melanie Woodbury won both of her singles' matches on Saturday at the 2024 MIT Invitaitonal, advancing into the semifinals to lead the way for the Tufts University women's tennis squad.
Woodbury knocked off two MIT opponents to advance to the semifinals on Sunday, as she topped Alaina Kolli 6-2, 6-3 before outlasting first-year Chloe Zeng 6-1, 4-6, 10-4 in a super-tiebreaker. The first-year for Tufts will now take on sophomore Caroline Stuhlfaut of Bowdoin College at 9 a.m. for a shot to earn the title against either senior Deliala Charles Friedman of Amherst College or MIT first-year Fiona Lee.
In other action Saturday, junior
Ellie Gershaw won her first match of the day 6-4, 4-6, 13-11 in a marathon tiebreaker to move into the quarterfinals. She would then fall to Friedman 6-2, 6-1 to end her singles' chances. Tufts'
Athena Li and
Natalie Hu were pitted against each other in the Round of 16, as the sophomore Hu was able to push past her teammate 1-6, 6-2, 10-8. In the quarterfinals, Hu would fall to Lee 6-2, 7-5.
First-year
Nadia Khera was dropped in the Round of 16 by Jay Lu of MIT 6-3, 6-3 as well in the main draw.
In the doubles' draw, Woodbury and her sister
Stephanie Woodbury won their first match of the day over Anastasia Samets and Lee 8-7 (5) to move into the semifinals but the pairing fell to top-seeded Friedman and Lily Dounchis 8-2.
In the doubles' consolation draw,
Natalie Hu and
Athena Li cruised into the consolation finals Sunday with wins over Sophia Min and Anselma Petrie of MIT 8-3 and She and Dobiecka of Amherst 8-6. The Tufts duo will face Ballarin and Ross of Bowdoin.
Action resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. in Cambridge.
--JUMBOS--
