In her first career collegiate tournament, Julia Smith won the Flight B singles title of the Adidas Invitational with a victory over teammate Prim Siripipat.
The freshman defeated the senior, 6-2, 6-1, in the finals. Siripipat was plagued by knee troubles that started in her first match of the weekend. She defeated teammate Hillary Adams in the semifinals.
The tournament, held in Peachtree City, Ga., was the first action of the season for eight players on the women's tennis team..
"I played really well," Smith said. "I normally would not beat her so easily, but I just didn't let her play well. In my first match, I was not so great, but I got better as the weekend progressed."
Head coach Jamie Ashworth said she was pleased with the freshman's play, as it was the first time he had ever seen her in action on a college court.
"It was a new experience for her in a college situation," he said. "She learned a lot and is getting used to the way we do things."
In the Flight A bracket, No. 16 Amanda Johnson lost in the finals to top-ranked Vilmarie Castellvi from Tennessee, 6-2, 6-0. Johnson defeated teammate Saras Arasu in the semis en route to her second-place finish.
Ashworth said the biggest win for Duke was Arasu's victory over Lindsay Dawaf in the quarterfinals. Her 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, defeat of Florida's top player and the No. 12 player nationally exemplified Duke's depth this year.
"That was the best win of the weekend," Ashworth said. "One thing we learned was that our team has a lot of depth. That was confirmed this weekend."
In doubles, Johnson and Julie DeRoo, ranked 18th, lost in the Flight A finals to Dawaf and Julie Rotondi. DeRoo and Johnson defeated teammates Katie Granson and Smith in the semis.
For much of the team, it was the first tournament since last spring.
"We played many matches in a short amount of time," Adams said. "Some of us got tired and that showed [Sunday]. The first tournament of the year is always hard, but overall we all played pretty well."
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