SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State women’s tennis program (0-1) fell in their opening match of the 2023 season to the Tiffin Dragons (1-0) by a final score of 5-2 on Thursday.
The Lakers got off to a strong start in doubles play with the duo of Tayla Brasier (Bathurst, Australia) and Maddie Whip (Sydney, Australia) striking first with a 6-3 victory at the No. 1 doubles position, and the pairing of Valentina Parodi (Albissola Marina, Italy) and Marilou Cote (Levis, Quebec) were not far behind with a 6-4 win to secure the doubles point. Meanwhile, Julia Fraile Raton (Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain) and Martina Oviedo (Cordoba, Argentina) teamed up for a 6-4 victory at No. 3 doubles spot to sweep doubles play against the Dragons.
The Dragons were able to retake the match lead overall after claiming victories at the top two doubles positions against Cote and Whip, respectively, and they extended their lead to 3-1 after taking the No. 4 singles position over Parodi, despite a hard-fought first set that required a tiebreaker to decide. With the match on the line, Brasier, Fraile Raton, and Oviedo were all able to force decisive third sets against their opponents, but the Dragons were able to clinch the victory overall after defeating Brasier in the No. 3 singles match by a final score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Oviedo would then fall by a similar margin of 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. However, Fraile Raton was able to come away with a tough victory at the No. 5 singles position. She was able to use an 8-6 tiebreaker to claim the opening set before dropping the second set 5-7. Then, in a super-tiebreaker that was played in lieu of a full third set due to the match already having been decided, Fraile Raton fought all the way to the end before ultimately stringing together two-consecutive points to claim the victory by a final score of 7-6, 5-7, 1-0 [12-10].
The Lakers return to action when they travel to take on former GLIAC rival, Northwood, on Friday, Feb. 10.
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