In what was a big rivalry to open up the season this past weekend, the Rhode Island women’s tennis team was represented in Providence at the Brown Invitational.
The Brown Invitational, hosted by Brown University included players from several schools such as Brown, Dartmouth, Stony Brook, the University of Massachusetts and URI. The Rams competed all weekend long in matches which made up the three draws throughout the weekend.
Rhody was led this past weekend by sophomore Erin Chratian, who paced the Rams by winning a pair of singles matches against Stony Brook and Brown. Chratian defeated Stony Brook in two sets, 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday. She continued to dominate with a victory over Brown, 6-1, 6-1 on the third day. Chratian also played alongside sophomore Paulina Loredo in a doubles pairing. The doubles team also picked up a win against Stony Brook, 6-2.
The Rams continued to fight behind junior Halah Davis and freshman Nadia Rajan. Davis and Rajan also picked up singles wins separately against UMass. In Draw Three, Davis picked up a big win against UMass, 6-4, 6-4, while Rajan beat UMass 6-2, 6-3. The doubles team then went on to beat UMass again, 6-1. The two picked up big singles and doubles victories this past weekend which was also a major lift to URI.
In addition, the Rams picked up a doubles victory from the team of Chratian and senior Rachel Smilansky. The doubles team picked up a 6-2 win against Stony Brook.
This past weekend is a good indication of where Rhode Island tennis is heading, with some strong play against stiff competition. The Rams now look ahead to next weekend, where they’ll be competing in the Harvard Scramble. The Scramble will run from Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 22. They then will compete in the USMA (United States Military Academy) Invitational the following weekend in West Point, New York.