Minnesota Tennis Falls to Alabama 4-0 – First Loss of Season

MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota women’s tennis team suffered its first defeat of the season Saturday, falling 4-0 to the University of Alabama at the Baseline Tennis Center. The loss drops the Golden Gophers to 6-1 while Alabama remains undefeated at 6-0.

Alabama secured the doubles point early, capitalizing on wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Karla Bartel and Kristina Paskauskas defeated Minnesota’s Jeselle Ante and Sofia Pinto 6-3. Maria Andrienko and Klara Milicevic then clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory over Yinong Ma and Anlin Xie.

The Crimson Tide carried their momentum into singles play, swiftly securing three straight-set victories. Kristina Paskauskas opened the scoring with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Aiva Schmitz at the No. 1 singles position. Karla Bartel extended Alabama’s lead with a 7-6, 6-3 triumph over Mia Liepert at No. 4. Amina Salibayeva sealed the match with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against Anlin Xie at No. 5.

Three singles matches remained unfinished at the time of the match conclusion. Jeselle Ante was battling Klara Milicevic, with the score at 4-6, 6-0. Sofia Pinto was facing Maria Andrienko, with a score of 6-4, 3-6. Yinong Ma and Mary Sidelnyk were too engaged in an unfinished match, with Ma leading 6-3, 1-6.

The Baseline Tennis Center, opened in 2002, serves as the home for Golden Gopher Tennis, providing a modern collegiate tennis venue on the University of Minnesota’s campus. The facility includes accessibility features such as power door entrances and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.

Minnesota will return to the Baseline Tennis Center on Sunday for a doubleheader, facing Colorado at 9 a.m. CT and Drake at 2 p.m. CT.