Winston-Salem, N.C.--Sophomore Abigail Tere-Apisah notched her second career victory over a nationally-ranked singles player to lead the Georgia State women's tennis team to a 4-3 victory at No. 62 Wake Forest on Sunday.
Tere-Apisah defeated Wake Forest (0-1) senior Kayla Duncan, the 93rd-ranked player in the ITA Women's Singles Rankings, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, to clinch the victory for the No. 58-ranked Panthers (2-0). Tere-Apisah defeated Yale's 88th-ranked singles player Elizabeth Epstein 6-3, 6-3, last season for her first career victory over a ranked opponent. She fell to Florida State's Noemie Scharle, who ranked 66th in the nation, last season, in her only other match against a ranked opponent.
Georgia State freshman Chaimaa Roudami earned her first collegiate victory with a 6-2, 6-1, win over the Demon Deacons' Karen Forman. Roudami's win at No. 5 singles, freshman Masa Grgan's win at No. 4 singles after a Wake Forest player retired and a win by forfeit at No. 6 singles, led GSU to the victory.
Georgia State has now defeated two ranked opponents in its last three tries. The Panthers upset No. 35 VCU 4-2 in last season's CAA Championship semifinals before falling to No. 44 William & Mary 4-2 in the championship match.
Georgia State rallied in singles after dropping the doubles point to Wake Forest. The No. 3 pairing of Grgan and junior Martina Ondrackova posted a convincing 8-0 win for GSU's lone doubles victory on the day.
The Panthers now have eight wins against ranked opponents under fifth-year head coach Miha Lisac. Wake Forest is the first of 10 ranked opponents on GSU's schedule this season.
Next on the Panthers' schedule is the ITA Division I Kick-Off Weekend taking place next weekend at Georgia Tech. 60 women's teams across the country will compete on the same weekend for the right to qualify at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. No. 58 Georgia State along with No. 13 Georgia Tech, No. 28 South Carolina and No. 43 William & Mary will compete this weekend in Atlanta, Ga.
Georgia State battles the crosstown rival Yellow Jackets at 2 p.m. on Friday with the winner of that match playing in the championship at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The consolation match will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Visit www.GeorgiaStateSports.com later this week for a preview of the Georgia State women's tennis team's weekend matches.
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