The San José State women’s tennis team secured a narrow 4-3 victory over Santa Clara University in a home match on Thursday afternoon at the Spartan Tennis Complex.
Sophomore Emma Fantousis led the Spartans with wins in both doubles and singles, including a three-set battle.
SJSU started the afternoon strong despite there being challenging wind conditions throughout the match.
Fantousis said the weather impacted players to adjust their approach on the court.
“My game is pretty aggressive, so with the wind I can already play like that,” Fantousis said. “I have to be more consistent most of the time and change my game too.”
Junior Duru Durgun also said the windy conditions required adjustments throughout the match.
“You just gotta, like, change up the rhythm and everything,” Durgun said. “So, yeah, told myself to really be calm.”
SJSU secured the doubles point early with wins from freshman Camila Celis and sophomore Katrina Brajovic who defeated their opponents 6-0.
Durgun and Fantousis followed with a 6-1 victory.
The Broncos responded during singles play, collecting wins to take a 3-1 lead midway through the match.
Highlight performances came from the Broncos, including graduate student Lizanne Boyer, who won her singles matchup through 2 sets by a score of 6-1, marking one of the team’s most dominant wins of the day.
SJSU head coach Chad Skorupka said the team’s ability to rally from deficits has become a defining trait this season.
“This is our second time this season where we’ve had to win three singles matches in a row, one being down 3-0 and one being down 3-1, so it shows this team can definitely battle back,” Skorupka said.
With the match on the line, Fantousis delivered in the final singles contest, winning a three-set match and defeating her opponent 6-3, 4-5 and 6-3 in her sets.
SJSU rallied late in singles play to secure a narrow victory.
Sophomore Cristina Mateos Losada helped spark the comeback with a straight-set win, while Durgun battled back in her match to tie the score and keep SJSU within reach.
Despite the overall victory, the Spartans faced some adversity in singles play, as freshman Tara Mihaljevic was defeated in two sets with scores of 6-2.
With the match tied, Fantousis stepped up, remaining composed in the third set to steal the win for the Spartans.
The victory highlights SJSU’s resilience in close matches this season, as the team continues to find ways to respond under pressure and secure key wins during competitive matchups.
This also marked the Spartans’ final nonconference match, with the team protecting their home court, with their only home loss coming last Saturday in a 5-2 defeat to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
The Spartans improved to a 6-3 overall record, while the Broncos dropped to 3-8 on the season. SJSU has now won four straight matches against the Broncos.
SJSU will begin a two-game road trip on Friday at 11 a.m. against Grand Canyon University at the GCU Tennis Facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
