Between an ITA Regional singles title, doubles title and qualifying status for the ITA National Indoors, sophomore Hanna Mar couldn’t ask for a better early birthday present.
After a full week of hard-fought matches, Mar eked out a relatively easy win against North Carolina rival Zoe DeBruycker 6-1, 6-3, to claim the ITA Regional Singles title Oct. 22. Shortly afterward, Mar joined partner Ester Goldfeld to capture a relaxed 8-2 victory against top-seeded USC pair Jaklin Alawi and Dominika Kanakova.
“Both wins meant a lot to me,” Mar said. “I’m really happy with the confidence that I’ve gotten from it, and I’m proud of the results.”
Despite an impressive No. 35 preseason singles ranking by the ITA, Mar remains a team-oriented player and is always looking to build morale with important individual wins.
“Everything I do individually just helps the team,” Mar said. “If I do the best that I can personally, I know that it will benefit the team.”
Head coach Jamie Ashworth is confident in Mar’s dedication to the sport, knowing she will put in the time to continue improving.
Less concerned with Mar’s performance on the court, Ashworth looks for her to continue to improve herself off the court.
“I hope that she keeps opening up as a person and keeps emerging as a leader of our team,” Ashworth said.
Since Mar’s technique has not been an issue, her main focus has been her mental improvement.
“She is a very physically tough player,” Ashworth said. “The mental side is something that she’s just got to keep getting better at—believing in herself and knowing that everyone else believes in her.”
Her commitment to getting better has not stifled her love for the game. Reflecting on her time at Duke, Mar said that she finds it impossible to pick a favorite aspect of Duke tennis.
“I’m just having the time of my life,” Mar said. “Tennis has added so much to my college experience.”
Because teammates Beatrice Capra, Rachel Kahan and Monica Turewicz are currently battling injuries, Mar’s role on the team has been even bigger this fall. Despite the shorthanded team, the Blue Devils have adjusted accordingly and pulled out some surprising victories.
“The first couple of matches were a little bit rough, but I’m happy to say that, with every match, we got better,” Mar said.
Mar and Goldfeld were initially paired this fall because Mar’s usual partner, Capra, was nursing a hurt left knee at the time.
Although the duo worked well together in practice, expectations were not exceedingly high.
“I knew that they had a chance to be pretty good but I didn’t know going in that this was going to be the team to win the tournament,” Ashworth said. “They know what they do well, and they make people play.”
Although Mar’s consistency and tenacity have proven successful thus far, there are certain challenges that she will have to face on the court.
Mar’s ability to stay in points makes her difficult to beat, but she may face a challenge against an opponent who rallies just as well.
“The type of player who is mentally strong enough to pay the price of being on the court will probably be Hanna’s toughest competition,” Ashworth said. “She just has to understand how good she can be.”
As a result of her performance in Winston-Salem, N.C., Mar will travel to New York alongside Goldfeld to compete in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships slated to begin Nov. 8, one day after Mar’s 21st birthday.
“I love New York, so I’m really excited to spend my birthday there,” Mar said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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