It’s good to be back home.
After suffering a rough road trip in Oklahoma last weekend, the Ducks (3-2) rebounded against Portland (1-2) with a 6-1 win on Saturday.
Oregon’s matchup with the Pilots kicked off a five game homestand, and it couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start. The Ducks dominated their intrastate foe, and took the first step toward getting the season back on track.
“Every match is important,” Oregon coach Courtney Nagle said. “We were just looking to bounce back from last weekend and I was really proud of how the team did that.”
An early doubles-point win put Oregon ahead. Freshman Jo-Yee Chan remained undefeated in doubles play as she and Ares Teixido Garcia teamed up for a 6-2 win. Their victory over Rimona Rouf and Aleksandra Dimitrijevic improved the Ducks duo’s record to 3-0 on the season.
“We didn’t know they’d be a good combination,” Nagle said. “But they’ve really connected well and been a tough team to beat.”
Sophie Luescher and Uxia Martinez Moral continued to build their chemistry together with a 6-3 doubles win of their own over Iva Zelic and Sally Pethybridge. The two picked up their second win of the season, and their win clinched the doubles point for Oregon.
“We were well prepared,” Luescher said. “We knew how they were going to play and we were able to play smart. [Uxia and I] have a similar mindset and that really helps.”
Myah Petchey and Misaki Kobayashi were tied 4-4 with Portland’s Meagan Pearson and Rose Watanabe. Their match remained unfinished. Petchey – who was in the starting singles lineup in the No. 2 spot – was scratched after doubles play. Kobayashi entered the lineup to replace Petchey.
The late lineup reshuffle didn’t appear to affect the Ducks in the slightest. They dominated singles play, winning four of the six matches.
In the No. 1 spot, Luescher swept Zelic 2-0 (6-2, 6-3) to earn Oregon another point. When the Pilots and Ducks met last season, Zelic swept Luescher and gave Portland its lone point in the 6-1 match. But this time around, Luescher got the better of Zelic and clinched the match for Oregon by bringing the score to 4-0.
“I knew what the situation was going to be,” Luescher said. “Most of the things I wanted to do worked and I’m really happy with how I played today.”
Petchey’s scratch bumped Teixido Garcia into the No. 2 spot and a matchup with Pethybridge. Teixido Garcia completely overpowered Pethybridge, sweeping the match with a pair of 6-2 set wins. Teixido Garcia is now 3-2 on the season. Her match finished first and gave Oregon a 2-0 lead.
In the No. 3 spot, Young defeated Rouf for the second straight season. She swept her in 2022, and with her 7-5 and 6-2 wins on Saturday, she shut down Rouf again.
Martinez Moral rolled past Dimitrijevic in the No. 4 spot. She swept with a pair of 6-2 set wins and brought the Ducks to a 3-0 lead. Martinez Moral is now 3-1 on the season and seems to be in midseason form just five matches into 2023.
Chan continued to impress with her sweep in the No. 5 spot on Saturday. She had Pearson guessing all afternoon, and her 6-3 and 6-1 set wins improved her season record to 2-1. She’s Oregon’s only freshman, and she seems to have found a starting spot in her first year.
“[Chan] is a feisty competitor out there,” Nagle said. “Overall she adds another element of depth to our team. She finishes well and she does a lot of things well.”
Kobayashi was the lone Duck to lose her singles set on Saturday. She was swept by Alaia Rubio Perez (6-7, 2-6) and fell to 1-1 on the year. Her loss put the Pilots on the board and ended the match at a 6-1 final.
The Ducks improved to 36-1 all time against Portland. This year marks the third straight season that Oregon has beaten the Pilots. The Ducks also capped off a sweep against all Oregon opponents for the season as it defeated Portland State 4-0 on Jan. 20 and Portland 6-1 on Saturday. Oregon State doesn’t have a women’s tennis team so the Ducks are the champs of Oregon for the 2023 season.
The Ducks return to action at home against Iowa (2-1) on Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. The Hawkeyes serve as the second opponent of a five-game homestand that Oregon hopes to use to build early-season momentum.
