For the second consecutive year, Duke's Amanda Johnson opened the women's tennis season on a positive note, finishing second in the Flight A singles draw of the Adidas Tennis Classic in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Johnson, ranked ninth nationally and seeded second at the tournament, won three matches--including two over ranked opponents--before falling 6-3, 6-4 to top-seed Alexis Gordon of defending national champion Florida.
"Alexis played really well," Johnson said. "I needed to get a break, but I couldn't do it. She was maybe in a little better shape than me and that might have made the difference."
After a routine 7-5, 6-1 victory over Tennessee's Sabita Maharat on Friday, Johnson picked up two big wins on Saturday over Gordon's teammates. The three-time All-American defeated No. 59 Jennifer Magley 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, followed by a 6-3, 6-1 blowout of No. 17 Zerene Reyes.
"Amanda played pretty well throughout the tournament," Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "She hadn't played any tournaments since NCAAs last spring, and it was important for her to get in some matches before All Americans next week."
The only other Duke player who picked up multiple victories in the Flight A draw was junior Saras Arasu. The Tampa, Fla. native, ranked No. 43 in the nation, won her first- and second-round matches before falling 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Reyes.
Freshmen Tory Zawaki and Jennifer Zika each earned one victory in the main draw, while Kristin Cargill lost her first collegiate match 6-2, 6-2 to No. 63 Alicia Salas of Notre Dame.
"It was good for our freshmen to see college tennis and the level of competition they need to be ready to play at on a daily basis," Ashworth said. "I don't think [the freshmen] knew what to expect. Part of adjusting to the college game is realizing that other players are going to give you their best everyday, especially if you play for Duke. Our girls need to get used to playing with that mark on their back. Nobody cares in college tennis what your rankings were in the juniors."
One freshman who did have a successful debut was Parker Goyer, who won the Flight B consolation singles draw. Goyer defeated Notre Dame?s Liz Donahue 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of the main bracket but then lost 6-3, 7-5 to Tennessee's Lindsey Martin.
Goyer bounced back after her defeat, winning two matches on Saturday and Sunday to finish her first college tournament with a 5-1 record.
"Parker competes really well," Ashworth said. "She's not the biggest girl and she's not the strongest girl, but she finds a way to win."
The most disappointing aspect of the weekend was undoubtedly the doubles play. After losing five players from last year's squad to graduation and the professional tour, none of Duke's nationally ranked doubles teams from the 2002-2003 season returned.
The Blue Devils plan on rotating teams throughout the fall, hoping to find three successful combinations. The duo of Johnson and Cargill had the most success this weekend, losing 9-8 in the third round to Notre Dame?s Salas and Sarah Jane Connelly.
The Arasu/Goyer and Zawaki/Zika tandems each fell in the second round to squads from Northwestern.
"The doubles was not great this weekend," Ashworth said. "One of the things we talked about the first day of practice was that every tournament this fall we would use different doubles teams. We may sacrifice some in the doubles rankings that way, but we need to see what's best for the team."
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