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After comfortably winning the first set in her singles matchup against Niagara sophomore Elena Mayet, Miyuka Kimoto started the second set sluggishly. But following a few brief rallies, Kimoto found herself down a game.

The freshman straightened her cap, got back into her stance and proceeded to play three perfectly placed backhand shots, each one toeing the right side of her opponent’s half. Mayet succeeded in returning the first two but could only watch as the last one flew swiftly out of reach. Kimoto’s combination of shots tied the second set at 1-1.

Last Sunday, Syracuse returned to Salt City with a new doubles lineup after a 7-0 away victory against the Drexel Dragons. The  freshmen tandem of Shiori Ito and Kimoto stayed separated as head coach Younes Limam opted to mix and match each young freshman  player with an experienced upperclassman ace just four games into this season. Ito was paired up with senior Sofya Treshcheva and Kimoto with junior Polina Kozyreva.

In yesterday’s return to Drumlins Country Club, Limam’s new strategy paid dividends as both duos won their respective matchups against Buffalo, giving Syracuse another victory against their storied upstate New York rival.

Kimoto and Kozyreva eased to a 6-2 win over Niagara’s Mayet and Megan Gamble, while Ito and Treshcheva put up an identical scoreline. With preseason coming to a close and Atlantic Coast Conference play fast approaching, Limam said he might have found two perfectly balanced doubles duos to be slotted at the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots.

Still, Limam said he has yet to determine whether these will be the cemented doubles pairings moving forward and is open to change depending on what Syracuse will face on the match day.

“I think we started the season with her (Kimoto) playing with Shiori,” Limam said. “But again, it’s a long season, and a lot of it is going to depend on the matchups, how other teams are looking and how we want to implement our game plan against theirs.”

Although Kimoto was used to playing with Ito, Kimoto’s strength in volleying complements Kozyreva’s hard-hitting style from the backcourt far better. In their last three wins, Kimoto can be seen forcing opponents to adapt to her swift movements and close-range returns. On the off-chance that the freshman let a ball get past her, Kozyreva was there to clean up the damage with solid hitting and precise placement.

“I think Miyuka is very comfortable at the net. She loves playing doubles, and she can complement any partner she has,” Limam said. “It’s great to have that flexibility. We’re just trying to see what the best doubles teams that we can have consistently and rely on.”

Kimoto has been on a hot streak on the singles front, with her last loss coming almost a month ago at home to Penn State’s Yvonna Zuffova. In the last three weeks, Kimoto has convincingly won every single match. Her fourth straight win came today as she defeated Mayet comfortably in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.

The Oita, Japan native has impressed so far this spring season with her versatility and ability to stay unpredictable in her shot selection. In her matchup with Mayet, Kimoto displayed a reliable forehand and backhand, along with a healthy amount of slices and chipped shots to keep her opponent guessing.

Kimoto’s recent string of quality performances hasn’t gone unnoticed by Limam, who has applauded her with high praise. The head coach also said that the newcomer has grown and improved her game thus far.

“She’s been playing better and better, and obviously she’s winning a lot of matches, so that’s helping her confidence,” Limam said. “I think she realizes that sometimes she doesn’t have to play ‘big’ to win points.”

Syracuse’s matchup with Niagara not only marks an excellent 6-1 record in nonconference play for the Orange, but it was also the team’s final contest before entering ACC play. With Kimoto yet to experience the competition of arguably the most talented conference in Division I tennis, Limam said he’s wary of the potential struggles that his young starlet could face.

“The consistency of higher-level players in (ACC competition) are going to force her to earn her points and extend the rallies,” he said.

Published on February 13, 2022 at 7:14 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff