TULSA, Okla. – Duke freshman Kaitlyn McCarthy showcased her resilience and endurance while competing in the first NCAA Singles Tournament of her college career. The Cary, N.C., native defeated Wake Forest's 64th-ranked Kimmy Guerin, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (9-7), in a first round marathon match that required three sets and three tiebreaks Wednesday afternoon at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. McCarthy, the 55th-ranked singles player in the nation, will face Mississippi State's 13th-ranked Jasmine Lee tomorrow at 1 p.m. (ET) in the round of 32.
“The end of that match had nothing to do with tennis,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “It was more mental and physical. When [Kaitlyn] was down 6-3 in the tiebreaker, she hit some good balls, and I think she just thought, 'Okay, I'm just going to go for it, and see what happens.' To even get it to the breaker for both of them was a mental battle. It had a lot less to do with tennis than anything else.”
The two competitors proved evenly matched in the opening set, as neither saw more than a one-game advantage through the first 11 games. McCarthy and Guerin remained on serve through the first two games before each traded a pair of breaks to tie the opening set at 4-4. Guerin reclaimed the lead after holding serve, but undaunted, McCarthy followed suit and held serve as well, once again tying the set. With the first set knotted at 5-5, the two exchanged games, forcing a first-set tiebreak. In the tiebreak, McCarthy fell behind, 4-2, but after claiming five of the next six points, she won the tiebreak, 7-5, to take a one-set lead.
In the second set, McCarthy put in a valiant effort as she battled back from a 5-2 deficit to force the second tiebreak of the match. Both McCarthy and Guerin remained on serve through the first four games before Guerin broke, held and broke again to take a 5-2 advantage. Unfazed, McCarthy won four consecutive games to take a 6-5 lead, with a chance to close out the contest. Guerin successfully held serve, however, leading to the second tiebreak of the contest. In the tiebreak, the score remained tied at 5-5, before Guerin won the final two points to force a third set.
In the third set, McCarthy opened with a break, but Guerin responded with a break of her own to tie the decisive set at 1-1. The following two games mirrored the first two, as each competitor registered an additional break to tie the set at 2-2. After a hold and a break gave McCarthy a 4-2 lead, Guerin countered by winning three straight games to reclaim the lead at 5-4. Undeterred, McCarthy won the next two games, bringing the score to 6-5. Guerin would win the final game to force the third tiebreak of the match. In the third tiebreak, Guerin stormed out to a 6-3 lead. Sitting just one point away from elimination, McCarthy won four-straight points to move into the lead, 7-6. McCarthy and Guerin exchanged points, moving the score to 8-7, before McCarthy won the final point that ultimately earned her the victory.
“That match reminded me a lot of the conditioning we've been doing over the last three weeks, where there's a lot more distance-based track work,” Ashworth said. “She had to push through it and was really tired at the end of those. Just watching her today was how she was at the end of our conditioning. Hopefully she does have confidence. She has a quick turnaround tomorrow.”
With the win, McCarthy improved to 25-12 on the season and 7-9 when facing nationally ranked competition.
For updated information on the NCAA Singles Tournament, visit here.
#GoDuke
#55 Kaitlyn McCarthy (Duke) def. #64 Kimmy Guerin (Wake Forest), 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7)
