The Columbia women’s tennis team triumphed over Hofstra, 6-1, in their first home game at the newly-built Columbia Tennis Center. The Lions’ impressive performance improved their spring season record to 3-5.
Head coach Ilene Weintraub expressed her gratitude towards the supporters who contributed to the construction of the new facility. The team was thrilled to play their first match in the new center and were even more ecstatic to win their opening game in it.
In doubles, the pairs of Anna Zhang and Sophia Wang, and Rachele Rimondini and Shivani Amineni each secured a 6-0 victory over Hofstra’s teams, earning Columbia the doubles point.
The Lions continued their dominance in singles, winning five out of six matches. Clarine Lerby was the first to finish, defeating Sabina Mohamed 6-2, 6-0 at No. 5. Carolyn Brodsky followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Abigail Higgins at No. 6. Winta Tewolde sealed the victory for Columbia at No. 3, winning 6-0, 6-4 against April Sanchez. Michelle Xu also earned a win at No. 5, defeating Ananyaa Bhargova 6-1, 6-0, while Rachele Rimondini won 6-1, 6-4 over Deniz Snyder at No. 2.
The No. 1 singles match between Julia Haynes and Jimena Garbino was highly competitive and featured many long rallies. Haynes took the first set 6-1 and had a lead in the second set, but Garbino managed to rally and tie the set at 5-5 before Haynes had to retire due to a medical issue.
Coach Weintraub was proud of her team’s performance and their commitment to the game plan, particularly in doubles, where they focused on having two players at the net and maintaining a high first serve percentage.
The Lions will play their next game at home against Fordham on March 3 at noon in the Columbia Tennis Center.
