Entering spring break, the Oregon women’s tennis team was 7-9 overall and had lost six straight matches. The team is now 12-9 and riding a five-match winning streak.
What happened?
Daria Panova happened.
The 19-year-old freshman joined the team at the end of winter term and was immediately thrust into the No. 1 singles spot.
Originally from Moscow, Panova competed at Sopot Academy in Poland with Oregon junior Monika Gieczys a few years ago, which is the main reason she chose to join the Ducks.
“I knew Monika from before and I knew she chose to come here because of the coaches,” said Panova, who is 3-2 for the Ducks this season. “I also knew that I would feel more comfortable here at the school and on the team because she was here.”
Besides tennis, Panova’s favorite sport is figure skating. Because of frequent injuries and her dedication to tennis, she no longer figure skates competitively. But she still enjoys watching her favorite figure skater, Olympic gold-medalist Alexei Yagudin of Russia.
“I don’t have enough time to figure skate anymore,” she said. “But it’s still my favorite sport to watch.”
Panova, Dasza (pronounced Da-SHA) to her friends and teammates, has spent much time traveling around the world and competing in tournaments. Living away from home isn’t anything new to her, but she still finds it difficult to adapt to the new culture.
“I still have lots of problems with English,” she said. “I’m nervous about language. I fear people won’t understand me.”
She said her teammates are making the adjustment easier for her and she is starting to feel more at home.
“I’m spending a lot of time with my teammates off the court,” Panova said. “We go to dinner, the movies and just hang out.”
Gieczys said that Panova’s personality fits right in with the team’s chemistry.
“She’s a very fun and outgoing person. She wasn’t shy at all,” Gieczys said. “It was nice to have a spring break for her to get to know all of us.”
Although she isn’t a fan, Panova said she understands the popularity of football and basketball and is willing to cheer for the Ducks. Gieczys said the team will take her to the games next year and help her learn more about the sports.
“I know she doesn’t understand the rules,” Gieczys said. “But I know she’ll learn and enjoy going to the games.”
Panova not only needs to adjust socially to the University, but academically as well. She has not declared a major, but is interested in international economics and psychology. She dreams of eventually becoming a doctor.
“I’ve always wanted to be a psychologist,” she said. “I want to learn more about people and find out why some do horrible things like murders. I think I might enjoy being a sports psychologist, though, because I know sports. I need to do something after I finish my playing career.”
Panova has set high goals for her college career — goals she believes she can achieve.
“Sometime within the next four years, I’d like to win the national championship,” said Panova, who models her game after her favorite tennis player, Monica Seles. “I have played against and beaten some players at that level.”
Oregon assistant coach Nils Schyllander said that because of her abilities, winning an NCAA title is a reachable goal for Panova.
“She is very solid and compact in her ground strokes and is very powerful from both the forehand and backhand,” Schyllander said. “Because of her past results and her work ethic, I think she can be an All-American.”
Head coach Jack Griffin feels fortunate to have a player with her potential and sees her helping the program for the next four years.
“You don’t find too many players coming in with her experience,” Griffin said. “Like 10 players like that enter college tennis a year and we get one. It’s huge for this program.”
Panova has had an immediate and direct impact on the team’s success. Playing No. 1 singles, she allows everyone else to drop one level in the lineup. With Gieczys now healthy, sophomore Davina Mendiburu and senior Janice Nyland, both having played in the top spot this season, move down to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.
“She can win at the No. 1 spot, and that takes a lot of pressure off of us,” Nyland said. “We are very team-oriented and she gives us a better chance to win every match we play.”