Liberty Falls to Minnesota in 2022 Season Opener

Minnesota topped Liberty 6-1 in Saturday morning’s 2022 women’s tennis season opener at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

The Golden Gophers’ win moves them to 1-0 on the young season. The Lady Flames fall to 0-1. Liberty will face Toledo on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m.), while Minnesota will be back in action against FGCU this afternoon as well.

Minnesota 6, Liberty 1

Singles Competition

1. Rachel Hanford (MINN) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTYW) 6-3, 6-4
2. M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Emilee Duong (MINN) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-6)
3. Vasia Karvouni (MINN) def. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) 6-2, 6-3
4. Dalila Said (MINN) def. Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) 6-4, 6-3
5. Maria Rizzolo (MINN) def. Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 6-4, 6-0
6. Lucy Lu (MINN) def. Willa Rogers (LIBERTYW) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (11-9)

Doubles Competition

1. Emilee Duong/Rachel Hanford (MINN) def. Alexandra Almborg/Eloise Saraty (LIBERTYW) 6-1
2. Dalila Said/Maria Rizzolo (MINN) def. Tiffany Nguyen/Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 6-4
3. Ekin Ercetin/Anfisa Danilchenko (MINN) def. M. Juliana P. Romero/Maretha Burger (LIBERTYW) 7-6 (11-9)

Minnesota 1-0

Liberty 0-1

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,1,3,4,6,2)

T-4:20 A-63

How It Happened

• Minnesota swept the doubles session and won five of the six singles matches.

• Liberty’s lone victory in the contest came from freshman Maria Juliana Parra Romero, who bested the Golden Gophers’ Emilee Duong in three sets (6-3, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (10-6)) in the No. 2 slot. Parra Romero paces the Lady Flames with a 12-2 record this season.

• The Lady Flames’ freshmen duo of Parra Romero and Maretha Burger were edged at No. 3 doubles, 7-6 (9) by Ekin Ercetin and Anfisa Danilchenko.

• In addition to Parra Romero’s three-set singles match, Liberty freshman Willa Rogers also went to three sets with her counterpart, Lucy Lu. Lu came from behind to edge Rogers 3-6, 7-6 (3), 1-0 (11-9).

• Rogers, Parra Romero and Burger were each making their first career dual match appearances for the Lady Flames today.

• Liberty falls to 9-13 all-time in spring dual match openers. The Lady Flames had won back-to-back season openers (2020 and 2021) prior to this morning’s setback to the Golden Gophers. Liberty is 6-3 in season-opening contests in the last nine years.

Next Up

• Liberty will meet Toledo (0-1) on Saturday afternoon in the second half of a doubleheader. First serve is slated at Three Oaks Park Tennis Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.