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Right from the start, Miyuka Kimoto and doubles partner Polina Kozyreva set the tempo against the Hokies’ Sabina Richtrova and Charlotte Cartledge, winning the first game after three well-placed spikes from the Japanese native.

Virginia Tech went on to win the next game with their serve, but in the third game, after dropping the first points by a double fault, Kimoto and Kozyreva were able to storm back and win the next three games through a good mix of shots, four double faults from Virginia Tech and more net-play from Kimoto.

On Sunday against Virginia Tech, Kimoto dominated in both singles and doubles with a 6-3 doubles victory followed by a 6-0, 6-2 performance in singles. Coming into the season, Kimoto, a sophomore, was slated as Syracuse’s No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles player. Yet, just six weeks removed from the first match of the spring season, Kimoto finds herself in No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles.

“It’s tough when you lose a lot of matches back-to-back and you start doubting a little bit,” said head coach Younes Limam. “But I couldn’t be prouder of her and how she handled her match.”

In doubles, Kimoto capitalized off her serve to help secure the doubles point for Syracuse. It was Kimoto and Kozyreva’s fifth time being paired together this season.

Kimoto took that energy to produce a near-perfect first set in singles. Against Tamara Barad Itzhaki, VT’s No. 1 singles player from a year ago, Kimoto overcame losing the match’s first point. She then capitalized on her serve, winning the next four points to go up 1-0. From there on out, she didn’t lose a single game in a 6-0 first set.

Just 5’3”, Kimoto lacks the strongest serve, but Sunday’s play highlighted the capabilities of the former No. 1 U-18 player in all of Japan. This was through an array of strong backhands, a low-bearing forehand that proved difficult to return over the net, and by painting the corners of the baseline.

The second set began with a long shot rally that ended with a forehand from Kimoto that was too fast for Barad Itzhaki. Kimoto went on to win the first four games of the set.

But then, Kimoto sent a pair of shots too deep and a pair of unforced errors that saw the ball head straight into the net. After being down 0-4 to start, Barad Itzhaki went on to win two of the next three games.

Kimoto played one of her best singles performances of the year, and has now won two straight after a rout against Coppin State on Saturday. With a 5-6 singles record on the year supplemented by a 7-4 doubles mark, Kimoto’s experience at the No. 1 position might be the difference as SU continues its 11-1 start to the season.

“We don’t look too much into the numbers 1, 2, 4,” Limam said. “At this level, all the players are extremely good, and it’s pretty much about the same level. In our team, we’ve got six players that can not only play, but win in any spot.”

Published on March 5, 2023 at 5:59 pm

Contact Brooks: baherb@syr.edu