Wake Forest Women’s Tennis opened their fall season this past weekend in Greenville, S.C. at the Debbie Southern Fall Classic. While the Demon Deacons returned six of their ten players from last year, it was the standout performances of freshmen Brianna Baldi and Kady Tannenbaum that stole the spotlight, with both earning first-place victories in their brackets.

Both freshmen made it past the opening round in dominant fashion, winning in straight sets, with Tannenbaum winning 6-3, 6-2, and Baldi 6-1, 6-2. Sophomore Sankavi Gownder also won her opening round in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, while junior Krystal Blanch’s match stretched three sets where she won the fourth match on the day for the Demon Deacons 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.  

On Saturday, the four Demon Deacons continued their charge in each of their individual brackets. Both Gownder and Blanch were unable to advance past the semifinal round, while the two freshmen extended their run in tournament play. 

In Tannenbaum’s match, she managed a hard-fought opening set to win 7-5, and despite falling in the second set (6-3), rallied back with a dominant finish in the third, 6-0, to win the match and advance to the final on Sunday. Baldi’s singles match also stretched three sets, with the freshman falling in the second set, 6-2, but managing a strong third set 6-3 to head to the final in her bracket.

Tannenbaum was also paired with Junior Nevena Carton in doubles. The pair managed to win their opening two matches, but fell just short in the final to their opponents from Texas Tech (1-6). 

The two Demon Deacons proved that youth prevails in their final-round matchups on Sunday. Tannenbaum secured first place in her flight, beating her opponent from Furman in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Baldi followed suit with a hard-fought campaign in her match that once again went to three sets. The freshman fell behind early, dropping the first set (6-0), but battled back in the second set which went to a tiebreak. She got the job done in the final set winning 6-4, to cap off a memorable weekend for the newcomers. 

“It was a strong event with many good teams, and we came out and played tough all weekend,” Head Coach Jeff Wyshner said. “Great to see both freshmen step in and win their flights. It’s a good start, and we learned a lot about what we can do better too.”

On the weekend, the Demon Deacons recorded 12 wins. Wake Forest Women’s Tennis will be back in action next weekend in Cary, N.C. at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American Championship.