It’s not often teams in college women’s tennis put No. 1 UNC-Chapel Hill in a corner.
But late in the quarterfinal round of the ITA Indoor Championships in Seattle, No. 7 NC State women’s tennis had the top-ranked Tar Heels on the ropes — and No. 39 sophomore Anna Zyryanova delivered the knockout blow, upsetting the reigning National and ITA Indoor Champions in a 4-3 thriller.
While Carolina emptied the tank against the Wolfpack in the final minutes, Zyryanova fought off two consecutive match points at the end of a heart-pounding third-set tiebreak. Up 7-6, with her team ready to rush the court, she pulled through, sending a sizzling backhand across the court to send the Tar Heels back to Chapel Hill empty-handed.
“One thing that UNC really do a good job about is they just keep playing, and they don’t stop,” said head coach Simon Earnshaw. “And you know, I think the thing that happened with Anna was, she just kept playing herself, and eventually somebody has to win, and it happened to be her.”
The most electric match of the college tennis season so far was heightened by the recent history between NC State and UNC. After its epic series of matches last season that ended with the Heels (7-1) defeating their Tobacco Road rival in the NCAA Championship final in Orlando, the Wolfpack (8-0) got its long-awaited revenge, stunning the Heels in Seattle.
“It was a great college tennis match,” Earnshaw said. “I don’t think anybody who was present will think otherwise. We were really fortunate on the day, to be the team that came away with the win, and both teams had multiple chances to win the match. …I think both teams really got the best out of each other today, and it was really great to be part of that.”
Unlike the Pack’s last win against the Tar Heels, UNC took the early doubles point, making it that much harder for NC State to win four out of six singles matches against the deepest roster in the nation.
But within a couple of hours, NC State proved it didn’t need the doubles point. The red-and-white stormed back from a 1-0 deficit to a 3-2 lead, needing either Zyryanova or senior Gina Dittmann to win a few more games in their respective three-setters to win it all.
However, that’s easier said than done. UNC’s No. 45 Theadora Rabman defeated Dittmann despite the senior’s multiple chances to end the bout then and there. With the match tied at 3-3, all eyes turned to court three where Zyryanova and No. 7 Anika Yarlaggadda were battling through the final few games of a three-set slugfest.
“It’s one of these matches where there’s a lot of wrinkles and changes of the flow,” Earnshaw said. “And things started going really towards UNC there for five or 10 minutes.”
As if there wasn’t enough drama already, Zyryanova and Yarlagadda’s match went to a deciding third-set breaker. Each player went blow for blow, but Yarlagadda was ready to complete Carolina’s comeback at a 6-4 match point.
Zyryanova wasn’t fazed. She staved off not one but two match points and won another for good measure, putting herself up 7-6 with a match point of her own.
Unlike her opponent, Zyryanova didn’t blink. Her teammates crashed court three in celebration before her winning shot hit the floor and the victors of the past four ITA Indoor Championships were left stunned.
“It’s a sign of the progress that she’s been making, that she keeps getting further and further against these types of players,” Earnshaw said. “And if you do that, eventually you’re gonna win.”
Before Zyryanova’s heroics, two singles courts fell within ten minutes of each other at the start of the round. No. 10 senior Amelia Rajecki took down one of the nation’s top players for years on end, No. 28 Fiona Crawley, in two quick sets. Once Rajecki finished off her 6-3, 7-5 win, No. 33 senior Sophie Abrams won 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 to double the Pack’s lead.
Just after, NC State kept its dominant singles run up with a win from No. 40 senior Abigail Rencheli on court two over another one of UNC’s most fearsome players, No. 8 Carson Tanguilig. Rencheli won 6-4, 6-3 as the Wolfpack continued to defy the Heels.
“I mean, we’ve been in these situations so much now that it’s kind of not a big deal for us,” Earnshaw said. “Yeah, we have it in us, and I think we showed it today.”
NC State was in position to win in an even more impressive fashion while threatening to clinch at 3-1. However, for each haymaker the Pack threw, the Tar Heels countered with one of their own.
Carolina’s No. 34 Reilly Tran defeated freshman Maddy Zampardo in three sets on court six. Even with NC State threatening to clinch at 3-2, Rabman fought through a match point and ultimately downed Dittmann in an intense three sets. But minutes later, Zyryanova came through, stopping UNC’s comeback in its tracks and solidifying a date with No. 5 Michigan in the semifinals.
While the Pack doesn’t have much time to reflect on its victory, the 4-3 thriller adds nothing but more drama and intrigue to possibly the most entertaining college women’s tennis rivalry in recent memory.
“If you play the same team a lot of times, there’s gonna be a lot of different results, and you just keep playing hard,” Earnshaw said. “Eventually you’ll see everything, and I think today was a really good example of that. I don’t think you can see a closer kind of crazy college tennis match, especially with the way that it ended up.”
NC State will continue its run in the ITA Indoor Championships as it faces the Wolverines in the semifinals. First serve in Seattle is set for Sunday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m.
