Miranda Ramirez was familiar with Duke’s No. 78 Meible Chi, and it wasn’t through playing against her in tennis matches. Up 5-1 in the second set, Ramirez was in control against her childhood doubles partner, Chi.

Despite riding a six-match losing streak, Ramirez had a chance to close the match against Chi and give SU its second point of the day. But it wasn’t going to be that easy for her.

Chi took three straight games against Ramirez, but Ramirez still had an opportunity to clinch the match with her serve, up 5-4. At 40-30, she hit a high second serve to Chi. Five shots into the point, Ramirez stepped back and drilled a forehand winner down the left endline.

The sophomore let out a yell, and then a sigh of relief. Both smiling, Chi and Ramirez met at the net, happy to see each other.

In a 4-2 Syracuse (14-6, 6-6 Atlantic Coast) loss filled with missed opportunities, Ramirez capitalized on her familiarity with Chi to win her first singles match since March 14. Their relationship with tennis that spans back more than 10 years, Ramirez said, helped her win on Friday.

“Because I knew her for so long,” Ramirez said, “I knew all of her tactics. It was the first time in a while I felt like I played my game.”

Before the Orange’s match against the Blue Devils, SU junior Libi Mesh gave Ramirez a quick pep talk. Because Ramirez was facing one of her best friends, Mesh tried to ease her nerves and promised to watch her match. The talk helped Ramirez calm down, she said.

Ramirez opened her match at second singles at 40-all. In the deciding point of the first game, Ramirez fought Chi off with her backhand but ended the point with a forehand winner on the back endline.

After dropping the second game, Ramirez went up a break on a forehand volley down the right line. During the stoppage time, Ramirez started to caress her left thigh. It tightened up, Ramirez said, but only felt sore between points.

At 3-1, Ramirez yelled toward the crowd after forcing an error out of Chi. Frustrated, Chi hit the ball back into the net after the point ended. After the exchange, Chi left an errand floating forehand in the air for Ramirez to volley. Chi had her serve broken again. Ramirez extended her early lead to a first set victory, 6-4.

Like the first set, Ramirez dominated the beginning of the second set by taking five of the first six games. She started to play “smart tennis,” head coach Younes Limam said, and that helped Ramirez extend her lead.

Up 5-1, something changed, slightly. Ramirez started to hold onto her thigh more in between points. During a break, Ramirez used a bench to do a minute-long exercise, stretching out her thigh. After the stretch, Ramirez returned to action and started to hesitate to force winners. Eventually, the second set got tighter, at 5-4.

Despite troubles midway through the second set, Ramirez was not worried about closing out the match.

“She had some great points and shots (after 5-1),” Ramirez said, “I just had to get in the zone.”

After winning the match in the tenth game of the second set, 6-4, 6-4, Ramirez turned away from Chi and locked eyes with Mesh. The two walked towards each other, embraced and began to laugh.

The win felt like a turning point for Ramirez and her singles play, doubles partner Gabriela Knutson said.

“Sometimes all you need is one win to get back your confidence,” Limam said, “she was back today.”

Published on April 13, 2018 at 10:23 pm

Contact KJ: kjedelma@syr.edu | @KJEdelman