SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Haverford College women's tennis team opened its fall season over the weekend at the Swarthmore Invitational. With a field that included the host Garnet, La Salle, and SUNY Geneseo, the Fords accumulated eight wins in singles and five more in doubles. Both of those totals were the second most among the teams competing.
First year Claire Johnson got her collegiate career off to a very strong start with a 3-0 weekend in singles. Each of her wins came in straight sets, capped by a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of her opponent from Geneseo. Renata DiDonato added two wins to the Fords' singles total. Both of her victories came in thrilling fashion as she needed a first set tiebreak in each to jump out to an early advantage. Her Saturday match against Geneseo saw her tiebreak finish at 14-12 before she clinched the opening set.
Jane Bary, Clara Farrehi, and Ananya Prakash each won one singles match for the Fords. Bary closed her week by not allowing a single game to her opponent from Geneseo on Sunday. Prakash also picked up her victory on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Geneseo. Farrehi's singles victory came on Saturday with back-to-back 6-1 set victories over her opponent from La Salle.
In doubles, the pairing of Bary and Anne Tobin combined to go 3-1 on Saturday and Sunday. The Sunday results featured both ends of the spectrum with an 8-0 victory to start the doubles play and a tiebreak victory to close out the weekend. Natalie Williams helped Haverford pick up its other two victories in doubles. She teamed up with Farrehi on Saturday as that pairing defeated the rival Garnet by an 8-2 score. On Sunday, Williams was paired with Johnson as that duo came away with an 8-5 win against Geneseo.
Women's tennis will be back in action this weekend for the ITA Southeast Regional Championships at Mary Washington. That tournament gets underway on Saturday, September 22 and continues through Monday, September 24 for players who have advanced far enough in the championship draws. The Fords will close their fall season on Saturday, October 6 when they welcome their alumnae back for a day of friendly competition beginning at 1 p.m.