NASHVILLE – It came down to the final singles match on the court, but Austin Peay State University women's tennis was able to hang on and beat Central Arkansas, 4-3, in their season-opening match, Sunday, at the indoor courts at Hadley Park.

Austin Peay (1-0) got off to a quick start with Fabienne Schmidt and Danielle Morris winning the first doubles match of the contest on the No. 1 line. Ana Albertson and Honoka Nakanishi were then able to secure the early advantage for the Governors, winning the No. 3 doubles match to claim the doubles point.

After the Govs had already won the doubles points, the No. 2 doubles pairing of Jana Leder and Aleks Topalovic fell to Central Arkansas' Yada Vasupongchai and Mei Ishimura.

With the doubles point in hand, Schmidt once again helped the Govs extend their early lead, beating Central Arkansas' Chunxi Xin in the No. 1 singles match to give Austin Peay a 2-0 lead. But Central Arkansas was able to work their way back into the match with Fuka Nonoyama and Vasupongchai knocking off Morris and Leder in the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches to level the score at 2-2.

The No. 4 singles match was the next to go final and Martina Paladini-Jennings picked up a big win for the Governors, beating Maja Gledic to give Austin Peay a 3-2 lead with two matches left to play. However, the Bears were once again able to claw their way back into contention, as Jaeun Lee beat Ana Albertson in the No. 6 singles match to even the score at 3-3.

In the final singles match of the day, Topalovic picked up the decisive point for the Governors, winning 6-4, 7-5 over Central Arkansas' Sumomo Hamanaga to seal the win for Austin Peay.

Up Next

Austin Peay will hit the road for a four-match road trip, starting with a Feb. 14 match at Chattanooga. The Govs will then travel to Carson-Newman, Middle Tennessee, and North Alabama before returning home for an 11 a.m., March 9 match against Illinois State.

In the time of COVID-19, there is always a chance that a match will be postponed or not come to fruition. For news, scheduling changes, and match-time updates, be sure to check back at LetsGoPeay.com or follow the Governors women's tennis Twitter account (@AustinPeayWTN).

Results

Doubles

1. Fabienne Schmidt/Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Chunxi Xin/Fuka Nonoyama (UCA) 6-1

2. Yada Vasupongchai/Mei Ishimura (UCA) def. Jana Leder/Aleks Topalovic (APSU) 6-4

3. Ana Albertson/Honoka Nakanishi (APSU) def. Maja Gledic/Sumomo Hamanaga (UCA) 6-2

Order of Finish: 1, 3*, 2

Singles

1. Fabienne Schmidt (APSU) def. Chunxi Xin (UCA) 7-5, 6-3

2. Fuka Nonoyama (UCA) def. Danielle Morris (APSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4

3. Yada Vasupongchai (UCA) def. Jana Leder (APSU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4

4. Martina Paladini-Jennings (APSU) def. Maja Gledic (UCA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1

5. Aleks Topalovic (APSU) def. Sumomo Hamanaga (UCA) 6-4, 7-5

6. Jaeun Lee (UCA) def. Ana Albertson (APSU) 6-0, 6-2

Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 5*