Oregon women’s tennis (2-0) defeated Seattle University (1-4) for the third straight season, 6-1 on Sunday in Eugene. The Ducks were stronger, more agile and more accurate in all aspects of the game as they continued their perfect start to 2023. 

“We had some very decisive wins,” coach Courtney Nagle said. “Doubles improved from Friday and I think we carried that into singles very well.”

Uxia Martinez Moral was in full control of her No. 4 match against Jade Quintana. She won both of her sets 6-1, was the first to win her match and put the Ducks ahead 2-0. Just a few moments later, Ares Teixido Garcia capped off her own match. She swept Lola Tavcar with 6-1 and 6-3 set wins. Teixido Garcia and Martinez Moral both improved to 2-0 in singles play on the season. Their wins brought Oregon to a 3-0 lead and just a point away from a 2-0 season start.

It was Jo-Yee Chan – the only new face to the Ducks in 2023 – who sealed the win for Oregon. After she dominated in doubles play, she walked right past Mireia Fehr in the No. 5 singles match with a 2-0 sweep. She won her first collegiate singles set 6-1 and the second set 6-2 in route to her first win as a Duck. Chan is a freshman from Sugar Hill, Georgia, and was a highly ranked recruit in high school. Her win on Sunday put Oregon ahead 4-0 and clinched its second victory of the weekend. 

“I just told myself to breathe,” Chan said. “It helped a lot because I just wanted to focus on one point at a time.”

After Chan’s dazzling debut and clinching point, the Redhawks and Ducks decided to play out the remaining singles matches. Mere seconds after Chan’s win, Misaki Kobayashi won her second set over Shuanghu Huang 6-0 to seal her 2-0 sweep (6-2, 6-0) and bring the Oregon lead to 5-0.

Myah Petchey (playing from the No. 2 spot) had the Ducks’ only singles loss of the impressive weekend. She was swept by Lilya Dimova, 2-6 and 5-7. She put together a nice rally in her second set, but it fell short and Dimova put Seattle on the board. 

“[Petchey] didn’t play her best tennis,” Nagle said. “But she came back from a 0-4 deficit and got in a position to win the set. We’re always looking for those situations where we can get back in position when we’re down, and she did that today.”

Sophie Luescher’s match against Elena Kraleva was the last to finish. She defeated the Redhawks’ No. 1 player in two sets. She won 6-2 and 7-6 (7-5 in tiebreaker) and completed Oregon’s 6-1 win.

The Ducks also remained undefeated this season in doubles play by capturing the doubles point with a 2-0 sweep. Teixido Garcia and Chan teamed up for the first time for a 6-0 doubles match win. They had their Redhawk opponents off balance and dazzled. Chan had the accuracy to seemingly place her hits wherever she wanted on the court, and Teixido Garcia had unmatchable power that Seattle U couldn’t return. 

“Going into the doubles match I was so nervous,” Chan said. “But we got off to such a quick start. I got really comfortable and it felt good.”

Luescher and Martinez Moral also picked up a doubles win with their 6-3 win over Kraleva and Dimova. They never trailed in their match, and sealed the Ducks’ first point with their victory. Petchey and Kobayashi’s match against Tavcar and Fehr was unfinished, but the two teams were tied 5-5. 

Sunday’s win capped off a strong weekend homestand. Wins over Portland State (4-0) and Seattle University (6-1) saw the Ducks outscore their opponents 10-1 through their first two games and start the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2019-2020 season.

Oregon heads to Stillwater, Oklahoma next weekend for the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Ducks will play No. 13 Oklahoma State (1-0) on Saturday, Jan. 28 and either No. 20 Michigan (1-0) – who eliminated Oregon from the NCAA tournament last season – or Kansas (1-0) on Sunday, Jan. 29.