UNC duo of Crawley and Tanguilig claim ITA Regional Championship doubles title, 6-3, 6-1

On Sunday, the UNC women's tennis team duo of junior Fiona Crawley and sophomore Carson Tanguilig conquered Duke’s Karolina Berankova and Ellie Coleman to take the ITA Regional Championship doubles title in a 6-3, 6-1 bout. 

This followed four consecutive wins for the pair against George Washington (8-0 pro set), Wake Forest (8-2 pro set), Duke (8-2 pro set) and top-seeded NC State (7-6 (6), 4-6, 1-0 (5)). 

What happened?

UNC started the match authoritatively, winning the first game of the set off an ace by Crawley. Duke fought back, ultimately securing the second game after battling to deuce. The Blue Devils dominated the third game, not allowing UNC to pick up any points. 

However, after allowing the Blue Devils to take an early lead in the fourth game, the Tar Heels battled back to a victory. They went on to win the next three games in a row as Crawley recorded multiple aces off of her serve. 

The set culminated with Duke and North Carolina each picking up one more game respectively, for a final score of 6-3 in favor of the Tar Heels. 

The second set saw Crawley and Tanguilig solidify their dominance. The pair won four straight games in a row in quick succession, not allowing Duke any points in the second instance. 

Berankova and Coleman were able to pick up the fourth game, but this proved fruitless in slowing down the momentum of UNC. 

Crawley once again put on a commanding performance with her serve, acing the Blue Devils and leading the Tar Heels to match point. The championship was decided by a major overhead slam on behalf of Crawley, which the Duke pair could not return. 

Who stood out? 

Crawley has emerged from the summer as a force to be reckoned with in college tennis. She was coming off back-to-back singles titles at the ITA All-American Tournament and the Fall Ranked Spotlight but had yet to establish her dominance in doubles play. 

That changed this weekend as she played an impressive, well-coordinated match with Tanguilig. Her service game stood out, as she consistently bested her opponents with multiple aces and did not record a single double fault. 

Tanguilig also looked strong, particularly at the net where she demonstrated excellent ball control and shot selection. 

When was it decided?

Although the Tar Heels won the first set, they were not fully in control of the match until the start of the second set. 

UNC hesitated slightly in the first half of the matchup and allowed Duke to fight back in several games, but the Tar Heels entered the second set with confidence and authority. This allowed them to be in complete control in the latter half, and slam the Blue Devils in a fast and definitive final set. 

Why does it matter?

While both Crawley and Tanguilig shine individually, they are untested as a doubles pair, playing together only once before. Their success today solidifies them as a potential significant doubles threat for the UNC team heading into the remaining fall tournaments and spring conference play. 

The duo's ability to conquer top-ranked and proven teams like N.C. State is an extremely promising sign for the future of UNC women's tennis, which was a question mark after graduating multiple seniors last year. 

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will take the court next at the Jimmy Powell Invitational, taking place at Elon University on Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30 

@PeaceGwen

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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