UC Santa Barbara sophomore Amelia Honer got her first taste of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Tournament on Monday afternoon, taking on Anika Yarlagadda of North Carolina in the round of 64. Honer battled hard, but Yarlagadda took the win in two sets, 7-5, 6-2.
Honer had to wait longer than expected to get going on Monday, as thunderstorms in Orlando delayed matches and eventually forced the day’s action to move indoors at the USTA National Campus. When the match finally got under way, approximately three hours after the scheduled start time, the action on court did not disappoint.
Honer and Yarlagadda traded games back and forth throughout the first set, with neither player leading by more than one until the very end, with the Tar Heel pulling out the narrow victory. In the second set, Honer did her best to fight back and even the match, but Yarlagadda refused to give up the momentum, winning the set, 6-2, and with it the match
Honer finishes 2023 with a 16-2 overall record in singles play, with both of those losses coming against opponents ranked among the nation’s top 40 singles players. The sophomore will return to the USTA Campus on Tuesday to play in the doubles tournament, alongside Kira Reuter.
Honer will be back in action from Orlando tomorrow, May 23, as she and Reuter will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championship Round of 32, against Virginia’s Julia Adams and Melodie Collard.