RICHMOND, Va. -- Freshman Ulyana Romanova completed a three-set comeback with a 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 win at No. 5 over Tiziana Rossini as a shorthanded Old Dominion women's tennis team knocked off No. 47 VCU with a 4-3 win in Richmond.
"We really had our backs against the wall today with illness and injuries, making us play shorthanded. VCU did a lot to push us and competed hard for the win. I'm proud of the resilience we showed. The guts of our freshmen Lidiia and Ulya played with at the four and five spots was inspiring," said ODU Head Coach Dominic Manilla.
In doubles, the Monarchs had to forfeit at No. 3 due to illness though made things very interesting. At No. 1, Sofia Johnson and Lidiia Rasskouskaia knocked off the 47th-ranked duo of Yelizaveta Karlova and Emma Valletta 6-2 to even the doubles point. The Rams took the point winning a 12-10 tiebreaker at No. 2 for the early 1-0 lead.
Singles saw ODU (4-4) start off with a win at No. 4 with Rasskouskaia over Emma Rizzetto 7-6, 6-3 to trim the deficit to 2-1. Johnson evened the dual match with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 1 over Karlova.
VCU (10-2) took a 3-2 lead with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 win by T. Andrade Sabando over Allison Isaacs, but the Monarchs evened the match with Alexandra Viktorovitch taking a 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 win over Valletta.
Romanova lost the first set 1-6 to Tiziana Rossini and was down 2-4 in the second before fighting back to evened the match with a 7-6 (7-4) second set win. In the third and final set she jumped out to a 4-1 advantage and won 6-2 to lock up the win.
ODU now heads to Princeton for another nationally-ranked opponent facing the 33rd-ranked Tigers on Friday at 1 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
Old Dominion vs VCU
2/28/2024 at Richmond, Va.
(Thalhimer Tennis Center)
Old Dominion 4, #47 VCU 3
Singles competition
1. Sofia Johnson (ODU-W) def. Yelizaveta Karlova (VCU-W) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
2. T. Andrade Sabando (VCU-W) def. Allison Isaacs (ODU-W) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
3. AlexandraViktorovich (ODU-W) def. Emma Valletta (VCU-W) 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3
4. Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) def. Emma Rizzetto (VCU-W) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
5. Ulyana Romanova (ODU-W) def. Tiziana Rossini (VCU-W) 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
6. Mariam Ibrahim (VCU-W) def. No player (ODU-W), by forfeit
Doubles competition
1. Sofia Johnson/Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU-W) def. #47 Yelizaveta Karlova/Emma Valletta (VCU-W) 6-2
2. Tiziana Rossini/Emma Rizzetto (VCU-W) def. Ulyana Romanova/Allison Isaacs (ODU-W) 7-6 (12-10)
3. Anja Draskovic/T. Andrade Sabando (VCU-W) def. No player/No player (ODU-W), by forfeit
Match Notes:
Old Dominion 4-4
VCU 10-2; National ranking #47
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,4,1,2,3,5)
T-5:35
Women's Tennis Rallies To Knock Off 47th-Ranked VCU 4-3
Ulyana Romanova pulls a three-set come-from-behind win to lead ODU to 4-3 win