San Diego women’s tennis secured a 5-2 victory over Portland on March 22, marking their second consecutive win to start conference play. The match, held at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center in Portland, lasted nearly five and a half hours.
The result is significant for San Diego as it continues their strong performance early in the conference season. The team demonstrated resilience and composure throughout the lengthy contest.
Assistant coach Rafael “Rafa” Martinez said, “It was a great team win today. Portland competed really well, especially in the top singles, but we stayed composed in the key moments. We handled the pressure better, stayed steady and that’s what allowed us to outlast them and take control of the match.”
San Diego began by winning the doubles point with decisive performances from Vilma Krebs Hyllested and Maria Shmakova (6-1), as well as Hannah Read and Ines Leon (6-3). In singles play, Charlotte Keitel won her match 7-5, 6-2; Hannah Read earned a comeback victory 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1; and Krebs Hyllested clinched another point with a tiebreak win of 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).
After Shmakova retired during her singles match following a strong first set lead, Leon added another point for San Diego with a straight-set win. The final score was settled after Kristina Nordikyan fell in No. 6 singles.
Looking ahead, San Diego will host two matches during ITA College Tennis Weekend: against Santa Clara on Friday at 1:30 p.m., and Rice on Saturday at 11 a.m.
