YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University tennis team scored a 4-3 home win over visiting Western Michigan University Friday, March 28, inside the Chippewa Club in Ypsilanti, one week removed from falling by the same score in Kalamazoo (March 21) in a Mid-American Conference match. The Eagles (9-8, 2-2 MAC) captured the doubles point and reeled off three consecutive singles wins to claim the team victory before the Broncos (10-9, 1-3 MAC) won the final three singles matches for the 4-3 score.
“It was a great team win today!” Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. “Our doubles point was excellent. We had great energy, played together, and executed well. To follow that up and keep them under pressure with our discipline and physicality was what got us over the hump. (I am) proud to get this bounce back after the tough loss to them last week and excited to take this momentum into Sunday!”
Eastern jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the team scoring as they captured the doubles point for the 10th time this season in 17 matches. Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) took a 6-0 win at No. 1 before Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) and Kseniia Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) combined for a 6-3 win at No. 2 to claim the point. Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) and Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) teamed at No. 3 and led, 5-2, before the match was abandoned as EMU had captured the point.
The Eagles then expanded their lead with Brichackova capturing a quick 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 to stake the hosts to a 2-0 advantage. The lead grew following the No. 2 bout as Shved, who lost to Christine Gouws in a three-set marathon one week earlier (6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-7(6)), captured the win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to make it 3-0 for the Eagles. Komar then won her match at No. 6 in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, to clinch the team win as the Eagles held a 4-0 advantage.
With the team win in hand, the final three matches were played to conclusion with the Broncos winning all three. WMU picked up their first point at No. 3 as Vichare, who won last week, 6-4, 6-3, dropped a three-set match to Frida Weijerman, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(7). That was followed by another reversal of scores from last week at No. 1 as Hazmukova, who won, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in Kalamazoo, was unable to make it back-to-back three-set wins over Lola Glantz, this time falling, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6). The final match came at No. 5 where Saenko battled back to force a third set, but fell in a tie breaker, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4).
Match Notes
» Eastern improved to 9-8 overall and 2-2 in MAC play with an 8-1 record at home and a 2-0 mark in MAC play.
» The Eagles have won six consecutive home matches following a 5-2 loss to Oakland (Feb. 1). Eastern is now 18-1 at home under Ryan Kucera after going 11-0 last year in his first season guiding the program.
» Eastern has been involved in three consecutive one-point matches (all in MAC play) and holds a 3-3 record in such contests, including 2-1 against MAC foes. EMU is now 111-98 all-time in one-point matches, including a 44-45 mark against MAC foes with the win over WMU leveling the Eagles’ record to 35-35 at home and 21-21 in home MAC matches that are decided by one point.
» The win over the Broncos improved the Eagles to 4-3 this year against fellow Michigan schools and 103-114 all-time.
» Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare combined to win, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles to record their 40th career win together. With the win, Brichackova now has 58 career doubles wins, which ranks No. 19 all-time at EMU, while Vichare’s 56 wins ties her with Miriam Westerink (2008-12) and Avi Gogvadze (2014-18) for No. 20.
» The team of Viki Hazmukova and Kseniia Saenko won their match, 6-3, at No. 2 to clinch the point for the Eagles. The match marked the first time the two players were paired together in their careers.
» Marta Komar captured a three-set win at No. 6 singles to secure the fourth point for the Eagles and clinch the victory. It marked her first clinching point of the season and the first for the Eagles at the No. 6 spot. Additionally, Komar, who improved to 65-35 in her collegiate career (56-24 at Wayne State, 9-11 with EMU), played her first match at No. 6 after playing her previous 83 at No. 2-5.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Sunday, March 30, when they play host to the RedHawks of Miami University in a 1 p.m. contest at the Chippewa Club.
Follow Us
Stay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).
Eastern Michigan def. Western Michigan, 4-3
Singles
#1: Lola Glantz (WM) def. Viki Hazmukova, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6)
#2: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Christine Gouws, 6-3, 6-3
#3: Frida Weijerman (WM) def. Prerna Vichare, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(7)
#4: Sabina Brichackova (EM) def. Marielou Baudouin, 6-2, 6-3
#5: Polina Khotko (WM) def. Kseniia Saenko, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4)
#6: Marta Komar (EM) def. Audrey Smitek, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 3, 1, 5
Doubles
#1: S. Brichackova / P. Vichare (EM) def. L. Glantz / A. Smitek, 6-0
#2: V. Hazmukova / K. Saenko (EM) def. M. Baudouin / C. Gouws, 6-3
#3: M. Komar / D. Shved (EM) vs. P. Khotko / F. Weijerman (WM), 5-2 unf.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
“It was a great team win today!” Head Coach Ryan Kucera said. “Our doubles point was excellent. We had great energy, played together, and executed well. To follow that up and keep them under pressure with our discipline and physicality was what got us over the hump. (I am) proud to get this bounce back after the tough loss to them last week and excited to take this momentum into Sunday!”
Eastern jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the team scoring as they captured the doubles point for the 10th time this season in 17 matches. Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) took a 6-0 win at No. 1 before Viki Hazmukova (Skvorec, Czechia/Skoly Brezova) and Kseniia Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) combined for a 6-3 win at No. 2 to claim the point. Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland/Sopocka (Sopot) Tennis Academy/Wayne State) and Daniella Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) teamed at No. 3 and led, 5-2, before the match was abandoned as EMU had captured the point.
The Eagles then expanded their lead with Brichackova capturing a quick 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 to stake the hosts to a 2-0 advantage. The lead grew following the No. 2 bout as Shved, who lost to Christine Gouws in a three-set marathon one week earlier (6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-7(6)), captured the win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to make it 3-0 for the Eagles. Komar then won her match at No. 6 in three sets, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, to clinch the team win as the Eagles held a 4-0 advantage.
With the team win in hand, the final three matches were played to conclusion with the Broncos winning all three. WMU picked up their first point at No. 3 as Vichare, who won last week, 6-4, 6-3, dropped a three-set match to Frida Weijerman, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(7). That was followed by another reversal of scores from last week at No. 1 as Hazmukova, who won, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 in Kalamazoo, was unable to make it back-to-back three-set wins over Lola Glantz, this time falling, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6). The final match came at No. 5 where Saenko battled back to force a third set, but fell in a tie breaker, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4).
Match Notes
» Eastern improved to 9-8 overall and 2-2 in MAC play with an 8-1 record at home and a 2-0 mark in MAC play.
» The Eagles have won six consecutive home matches following a 5-2 loss to Oakland (Feb. 1). Eastern is now 18-1 at home under Ryan Kucera after going 11-0 last year in his first season guiding the program.
» Eastern has been involved in three consecutive one-point matches (all in MAC play) and holds a 3-3 record in such contests, including 2-1 against MAC foes. EMU is now 111-98 all-time in one-point matches, including a 44-45 mark against MAC foes with the win over WMU leveling the Eagles’ record to 35-35 at home and 21-21 in home MAC matches that are decided by one point.
» The win over the Broncos improved the Eagles to 4-3 this year against fellow Michigan schools and 103-114 all-time.
» Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare combined to win, 6-0, at No. 1 doubles to record their 40th career win together. With the win, Brichackova now has 58 career doubles wins, which ranks No. 19 all-time at EMU, while Vichare’s 56 wins ties her with Miriam Westerink (2008-12) and Avi Gogvadze (2014-18) for No. 20.
» The team of Viki Hazmukova and Kseniia Saenko won their match, 6-3, at No. 2 to clinch the point for the Eagles. The match marked the first time the two players were paired together in their careers.
» Marta Komar captured a three-set win at No. 6 singles to secure the fourth point for the Eagles and clinch the victory. It marked her first clinching point of the season and the first for the Eagles at the No. 6 spot. Additionally, Komar, who improved to 65-35 in her collegiate career (56-24 at Wayne State, 9-11 with EMU), played her first match at No. 6 after playing her previous 83 at No. 2-5.
Up Next
The Eagles return to action Sunday, March 30, when they play host to the RedHawks of Miami University in a 1 p.m. contest at the Chippewa Club.
Follow Us
Stay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).
Eastern Michigan def. Western Michigan, 4-3
Singles
#1: Lola Glantz (WM) def. Viki Hazmukova, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6)
#2: Daniella Shved (EM) def. Christine Gouws, 6-3, 6-3
#3: Frida Weijerman (WM) def. Prerna Vichare, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0(7)
#4: Sabina Brichackova (EM) def. Marielou Baudouin, 6-2, 6-3
#5: Polina Khotko (WM) def. Kseniia Saenko, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4)
#6: Marta Komar (EM) def. Audrey Smitek, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 6, 3, 1, 5
Doubles
#1: S. Brichackova / P. Vichare (EM) def. L. Glantz / A. Smitek, 6-0
#2: V. Hazmukova / K. Saenko (EM) def. M. Baudouin / C. Gouws, 6-3
#3: M. Komar / D. Shved (EM) vs. P. Khotko / F. Weijerman (WM), 5-2 unf.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
