The University of Mississippi Athletics
Hartono to Play for National Championship Monday
5/27/2018 | Women's Tennis
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. - In a match for the ages, Ole Miss women's tennis senior Arianne Hartono rallied from a set down and saved match points at 4-5 in the second set before going on to win a third set tiebreaker to advance to the NCAA Championship match Sunday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Hartono will face her third straight Pepperdine player in Ashley Lahey, who defeated Vanderbilt's Fernanda Contreras in straight sets to reach the title match.
Sherif gained the early momentum taking the first set 6-2, and served for the match twice in the second set even garnering match points at 5-4, but Hartono rallied to force a tiebreaker. She won it 7-6(5) to force a third set. Sherif jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third set, but Hartono came back to force another tiebreaker and won it 7-6(2) to complete the history-making match.
With her win, Hartono became the first player in program history to reach the championship match in singles.
Both players held to start the match, but then Sherif broke Hartono and held for a 3-1 lead. Sherif broke again for a 4-1 lead and went on to win the first set 6-2.
Sherif broke Hartono to start the second set , but then Hartono broke right back for 1-1. Sherif then broke again and held for a 3-1 lead. Hartono saved two break points and then broke Sherif to get to 4-4. Sherif broke again and served for the match at 5-4. Hartono saved match points to tie it at 5-5. Another break by Sherif allowed her a second opportunity to serve out the match, but Hartono broke back to force a tiebreaker.
In the second set tiebreaker, Hartono led 4-2, before Sherif won three of the next four points to tie it at 5-5. Hartono earned the mini break and then won the next point for 7-6(5) to send it to a deciding set.
Sherif rebounded and earned the first break of the third set to go up 3-0, but Hartono would not go away. She held, broke back and then won a deciding point to hold for 3-3. Hartono had two break points ton Sherif's serve, but couldn't convert and then saved two break points on her own serve for 4-4. Both players traded service holds to send the match to a winner-take-all tiebreaker. Hartono got out to a 4-2 lead in the breaker, and never looked back winning it 7-6(2) to advance to the final.
Quick Hits...
• Hartono improved to 36-6 on the year, and moved to a tie for third on the all-time single-season wins list.
• Hartono improved to 7-0 in three-setters this year.
• The SEC Player of the Year became the first player in program history to reach the NCAA Championship match.
• Hartono is the highest seed remaining in the tournament at No. 6 and will face her third straight Pepperdine player.
• Hartono has won 16 straight matches, including 22 wins against ranked opponents.
• Hartono snapped Sherif's 18-match winning streak.
Road to the Championship Match...
First Round - [6] Hartono def. #20 Vladica Babic (OSU) 7-5, 7-5
Second Round - [6] Hartono def. #47 Vanessa Wong (UW) 6-0, 6-2
Round of 16 - [6] Hartono def. [9-16] Paige Hourigan (GT) 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals - [6] Hartono def. # 27 Luisa Stefani (PEPP) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
Semifinals - [6] Hartono def. #22 Mayar Sherif (PEPP) 2-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(2)
Courtside with Head Coach Mark Beyers...
"What a thriller! Such a gutsy performance. Ari just kept hanging around, never giving up. Of course anytime you are down match points, you have to get a little lucky."
Courtside with Arianne Hartono...
On playing in a NCAA final...
"This is unreal! Coming from Ole Miss, this is such a great opportunity for our program. Making it this far is incredible. I am going to get a good night's rest and be ready for tomorrow."
On rallying from down a set and a break in the second set...
"There were a couple of breaks where I sat down and my coach told me to just enjoy it. It is my senior year and this is my final tournament as an Ole Miss Rebel. He told me to have fun and enjoy this opportunity. That is what turned it around for me when I relaxed and had fun."
Next up...
Hartono will face Pepperdine's Ashley Lahey in the championship match Monday. The times have not been set for the finals yet. Lahey defeated Vanderbilt's Fernanda Contreras 6-3, 6-3 to advance.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
Players Mentioned
