Women’s Tennis Team Loses in Semifinals of Atlantic 10 Championship

The Fordham women’s tennis team’s quest for a repeat Atlantic 10 title came to an end in a hard-fought semifinal match against the University of Richmond. The Rams fell to the Spiders, 4-2, in a thrilling showdown at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.

The match started off on a positive note for Fordham as they secured the doubles point by winning two out of three doubles matches. Franny Shea and Julianne Nguyen clinched a crucial victory at third doubles, while Xiaowei “Rose” Hu and Eleni Fasoula sealed the point with a win at second doubles.

Richmond fought back in singles play, taking the lead with wins at third and first singles. However, Eleni Fasoula mounted a comeback at fourth singles, winning the second and third sets to keep the Rams in contention.

The match came down to the wire at sixth singles, where Franny Shea battled hard but ultimately fell in a tiebreaker to Polina Shitikova, securing the victory for Richmond.

Despite the loss, the Fordham women’s tennis team put up a valiant effort and showcased their competitive spirit throughout the match. The Rams may have fallen short in their title defense, but they have proven themselves as a formidable force in the Atlantic 10 conference.