Makarova and Goldsmith Dominate En Route to NCAA Doubles Round of 16

(Source: Sydney Morris)

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Texas A&M women’s tennis No. 20-ranked doubles team of Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith advanced to the NCAA Individual Championships Doubles Round of 16 on Monday, defeating the No. 15-ranked pairing of Maya Tahan and Diana Khodan from Miami in a 6-1, 6-4 affair at the USTA National Campus Collegiate Complex.

After falling in Miami’s first service game to open the match, the Aggie duo rattled off six consecutive victories and dominated for a 6-1 advantage through the opening set. Makarova and Goldsmith went up a break early in the second set, but Tahan and Khodan quickly responded with a break of their own to put the match back on serve. The Hurricanes and Aggies exchanged blows after that, but Makarova and Goldsmith were able to pull away for the 6-4 victory in the final frame.

With the win, the No. 20 pairing of Makarova and Goldsmith improve to 19-11 overall with seven hard-fought victories against ranked doubles opposition. All year, A&M’s premier doubles team paved the way for a lineup that secured the doubles point in 16 team matches this season, with the Aggies securing the overall team victory in all 16 of those outings. Monday’s victory over the ITA No. 15-ranked pairing ties the second highest ranked win for Makarova and Goldsmith this season and the third highest in their respective collegiate careers. Their signature win came in the SEC Tournament Final against Georgia’s No. 6 team of Katarina Jokic and Ariana Arsenault.

Following their straight set victory, Makarova and Goldsmith await the winner of the match between No. 5 Jaeda Daniel and Adriana Reami of North Carolina State against Jessica Failla and Shiori Fukuda from Pepperdine. The winner of that match will advance to the NCAA Doubles Quarterfinals and receive an automatic selection to the ITA All-America Team.

UP NEXT
The No. 20-ranked doubles duo of Makarova and Goldsmith will continue play tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25th in the Round of 16 against either No. 5 Jaeda Daniel and Adriana Reami of North Carolina State or Pepperdine’s Failla and Fukuda. Match time will be released when it becomes available.

Fans interested in following along with the NCAA Women’s Tennis Individual Championships are encouraged to click here to download the TennisONE app. In collaboration with the NCAA, TennisONE will offer live streaming and scoring from every match at the USTA National Campus. For more information, be sure to follow the Aggies on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES

Head Coach Mark Weaver
On Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith’s success today…
“Tatiana and Jayci came out sharp and ready to play right from the start. We have been training hard here in Orlando each and every day, and it was obvious to me that we were definitely prepared to perform at a high level. Tomorrow is a great opportunity, as the All-American accolade is on the line for both of these players. With that said, at the end of the day we just need to focus on coming out and playing good tennis tomorrow.”

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
NCAA Women’s Tennis Individual Championships
USTA National Campus Collegiate Complex – Orlando, Florida
Doubles Round of 32
#20 Tatiana Makarova / Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. No. 15 Maya Tahan / Diana Khodan (MIA) 6-1, 6-4

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