Ducks Rally, Beat No. 25 Arizona State

EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's tennis team rallied past No. 25 Arizona State for a 4-3 win Sunday afternoon at the UO Student Tennis Center. The Ducks lost the doubles point and facing a 3-2 deficit, the home team won the final two matches on court with the clinching point by freshman Sophie Luescher at No. 1 singles.
 
With Sunday's win, Oregon improves to 9-5 overall with a 1-3 mark in Pac-12 play. The Ducks are now 7-1 on their home courts this year.
 
The visitors jumped out to the early 1-0 match lead, securing the opening point with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles. The Sun Devils clinched the point with a 6-4 triumph on court two. At the top spot, the Oregon pair of Sophie Luescher and Uxia Martinez Moral were locked in a back-and-forth matchup with Patricija Spaka and Domenika Turkovic, the No. 56 duo in the country; ASU led 5-4 when doubles was decided.
 
Martinez Moral cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles to tie the match at 1-all. Arizona State (8-6, 1-4) answered almost immediately with a straight-set win by Cali Jankowski in the four spot. The back and forth continued when Myah Petchey recorded a straight-set victory of her own—6-1, 6-1—to pull the Ducks back even at 2-all.
 
The Sun Devils regained the lead at 3-2 with a win at No. 3 by Sedona Gallagher. At the time, Luescher was down a set and a break at No. 1 singles while fellow freshman Karin Young was up a set in the fifth spot of the lineup. With Young taking a 3-2 lead in the second, Luescher erased her deficit with a break to get back on serve.
 
Luescher and ASU's Giulia Morlet traded breaks before the UO No. 1 held in the eighth game to square the set at 4-all. Meanwhile, Young was up 5-4 and a game away from the win at No. 5 singles and tying the overall match. From 0-3 down in the second, Luescher won five of the last six games to force a final set.
 
Young closed out her win—6-4, 7-5—as Luescher was breaking Morlet to get back on serve in the third, and after a hold, No. 1 single was tied at two games apiece. Later in the frame, the UO freshman went ahead 4-3 with a break and then held for a 5-3 lead in the decisive set. Luescher went on to clinch the match with an overhead.
 
 
Oregon 4, #25 Arizona State 3
Doubles
1. Luescher/Martinez Moral (ORE) vs #56 Spaka/Turkovic (ASU) – 4-5 [unfinished]
2. Gallagher/Morlet (ASU) def. Mulville/Petchey (ORE) – 6-4
3. Hill/Jankowski (ASU) def. Kobayashi/Teixido Garcia (ORE) – 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2
 
Singles
1. Sophie Luescher (ORE) def. Giulia Morlet (ASU) – 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
2. Myah Petchey (ORE) def. Domenika Turkovic (ASU) – 6-1, 6-1
3. Sedona Gallagher (ASU) def. Ares Teixido Garcia (ORE) – 6-2, 6-2
4. Cali Jankowski (ASU) def. Lillian Mould (ORE) – 6-2, 6-1
5. Karin Young (ORE) def. Patricija Spaka (ASU) – 6-4, 7-5
6. Uxia Martinez Moral (ORE) def. Natasha Hill (ASU) – 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
 
The Ducks are back home next weekend to continue conference play with matches against Washington State (Friday, March 25 – 1:30 p.m.) and Washington (Sunday, March 27 – 11 a.m.).
 
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