WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Senior Arianne Hartono defeated Pepperdine’s No. 17 Ashley Lahey 6-4, 6-2 Monday to become the first player in Ole Miss women’s tennis history to win a NCAA championship.
Hartono joins 2009 men’s tennis NCAA champion Devin Britton as players from Ole Miss to win an NCAA singles title.
“I have no words,” Hartono said. “It’s been such an amazing year, and to end my senior year and my career with this is unreal.
“I am so grateful to everyone who helped me get to this position, all the people who have pushed me. It means so much to me. I wear Ole Miss across my chest proudly because it’s not just for me, it’s for everyone who loves Ole Miss.”
Hartono finished the year 37-6 and moved to a tie for second on the all-time single-season wins list. She also ranks eighth all time at Ole Miss with 97 career wins.
Hartono finished the year on a 17-match winning streak. She earned 23 victories against ranked opponents.
“Ari won a few deuce games in the first set to keep it close,” Ole Miss coach Mark Beyers said. “Ashley was playing better tennis and we were trying to find our way into the match. That’s where the no-ad scoring can either hurt you or help you. In this case we won all the no-ad games and it helped us get in the match.
“Assistant coach Grant Roberts did an amazing job of keeping Ari in the match when she got off to a slow start, getting her going. They had a good game plan, and he kept emphasizing it to her. We were able to pull even in the match and then really take charge. What a fantastic way to cap an outstanding career.”
A slow start for the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year allowed Lahey to go up a break 3-1 in the first set. Facing more break points, Hartono held and then Lahey held for 4-2. That’s when the momentum began to shift. Hartono held and then broke Lahey twice to steal the first set.
Both players held to start the second set, but in the third game, Lahey fell on her ankle. After a brief timeout, she returned to the court, but Hartono finished off a service hold and then grabbed the first break to go up 3-1.
Hartono gained another break to serve for the match at 5-1, but Lahey broke back to make it 5-2. Hartono broke right back to clinch the title.
“Women’s tennis is tricky. All it takes is one moment and the entire match can turn around,” Hartono said. “It was such a quick momentum shift from 4-3 down to 5-4 up and 6-4. That’s all I needed to take over. I knew that she’s a hard hitter and we’re playing indoors, so it’s going to come fast. I just tried to make the rallies as long as possible and whenever I get my shot I’ll take it. I tried to be consistent, patient and work the points.”
n On Sunday, Hartono rallied from a set down and saved match points at 4-5 in the second set en route to a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2) victory against Pepperdine’s Mayar Sherif in the semifinals.
“This is unreal,” Hartono said. “Coming from Ole Miss, this is such a great opportunity. Making it this far is incredible.”
Sherif served for the match twice in the second set. She earned match points at 5-4, but Hartono rallied to win the tiebreaker to force a third set. Sherif jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Hartono rallied to force another tiebreaker and earn the victory, which helped her become the first player in program history to reach the championship match in singles.
Hartono improved to 7-0 in three-set matches by snapping Sherif’s 18-match winning streak.
Borges’ season ends in semifinals of NCAA Championships
Mississippi State’s second-ranked and third-seeded Nuno Borges lost to Wake Forest’s seventh-ranked and seventh-seeded Borna Gojo 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday in the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
“I’m really proud of how hard Nuno fought today and all season,” MSU coach Matt Roberts said. “He really started off strong and had a great chance to put the match away in the second set. Hats off to Borna, though. He stepped up his serve and saved those three match points with all flat aces. Once he got the momentum back, the crowd gave him a jolt of energy and he was tough from then on out. It’s not the outcome Nuno wanted, but I’m really proud of how determined he was throughout the season and this incredible tournament. I know he’s going to take this experience and build on it over the summer and come back even stronger.”
Borges broke Gojo to go up 4-2, held serve, and broke Gojo again to take the first set.
Down 15-40 with Borges playing for the match, Gojo fired off three straight aces to save three match points. He broke the next game and then hold to force a third set.
At 2-all, Gojo broke Borges on a deciding point to take the lead. Up 5-2, Gojo then served it out for the match.
Borges is the first player in Southeastern Conference men’s tennis history to capture league Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year laurels in a career, let alone the same season. Borges also is the third player in SEC history earn Player of the Year honors twice.
Borges also captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, making him the first Bulldog since Marco Baron in 2001 to earn the honor.
On the court, Borges not only earned singles All-American status, but he also earned the billing on the doubles courts. There, he and partner Strahinja Rakic jumped from unranked in March to the top spot in the ITA doubles rankings prior to the NCAA Team Championship. By doing so, he became the first Bulldog since Baron in 2000 to earn All-American honors in both singles and doubles in the same year.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.