Saras Arasu won a third-set tiebreaker, 7-3, to bring Duke back from a 3-0 deficit against Notre Dame Friday in South Bend, Ind.
With the overall score knotted at three, Saras Arasu took down Notre Dame’s Lauren Connelly in a third-set tiebreaker Friday to give Duke its sixth win of the indoor season.
The Blue Devils (6-2) trailed 3-0, but wins by Clelia Deltour, Katie Blaszak, Kristin Cargill and Arasu when the Fighting Irish thought they had the match locked up lifted Duke to a 4-3 victory. The fifth-ranked Blue Devils then fell Sunday to No. 4 Northwestern, 5-2.
“We talked about how we had to fight to the very end, and if we fight the results will come,” head coach Jamie Ashworth said. “We stole the match from Notre Dame because they had us beat at one point.”
After pulling to within one of Notre Dame at 3-2, it appeared as if fifth-ranked Duke was headed for its second loss of the season before Cargill came back from a set down and Arasu won the decisive tiebreaker.
Arasu took the second set, 6-4, to level the match at one set apiece. She then gained the early lead at 3-2 in the final set, but Connelly won three of the next five games to go on top, 5-4. Arasu evened the set at five, and the two traded the next two games to send the match into a tiebreaker.
Arasu never trailed in the tiebreaker as aggressive play put her on top, 7-3.
Before Arasu could complete Duke’s first major comeback of the season, Cargill won her second set after dropping the first 6-1. She then fought off a break point while down 3-2 in the third and took the final set, 6-4.
“Kristin winning the second set was huge, as she didn’t play well in the first set,” Ashworth said.
Deltour started the Duke comeback, fighting her way back from a 3-0 deficit to take the first set in a tiebreaker. The freshman then won second, 6-2, giving Duke its first point of the day.
“Wherever we have put Clelia in the lineup she has come through for us, and she did it again tonight,” Ashworth said.
Playing at the No. 1 position because of Jackie Carleton’s injury, Blaszak won her match 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 to bring Duke to within a point of Notre Dame.
For the first time during the indoor season, the Blue Devils lost all three doubles matches. Carleton’s injury also forced Ashworth to mix up his doubles lineup, and none of his teams could muster more than five games.
A similar comeback was not in order against big-serving Northwestern Sunday afternoon. Like the Fighting Irish, the Wildcats jumped on top of the Blue Devils early, taking 2-of-3 doubles matches and the first point.
But the match was over before Duke could even get a point as Northwestern (9-1) won the first three singles matches to finish.
Two the of the architects of Duke’s Friday comeback, Arasu and Deltour, lost their matches 6-2, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-1, respectively.
Blaszak then lost for the first time this season in singles play to Audra Cohen, the nation’s No. 1 singles player.
“I actually think we played a better match today than we did on Friday,” said Ashworth. “Northwestern is a much better team than Notre Dame.”
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