Northwestern University Athletics
Cohen Comes Up Just Short In NCAA Singles Championship
5/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 28, 2005
ATHENS, Ga. -- Freshman Audra Cohen came within two points of winning Northwestern's third national championship of the 2004-05 season, but Zuzana Zemenova of Baylor came back in the third set to defeat Cohen 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Cohen, who concluded one of the winningest seasons in NCAA history, finishes 51-7 in her inaugural collegiate campaign. She was trying to become the first female from a northern school to win an NCAA Singles Championship.
Even though she came up one match short of Northwestern's first women's tennis NCAA Singles Championship, Cohen still accomplished a few firsts while donning the Purple and White this season. She was the first player from the Big Ten Conference to compete in the women's tennis NCAA Final, the first player from the Midwest Region to claim a national singles title (winning the All-American Championship back in the fall) and the first Wildcat to win at least 50 matches.
Although unseeded in the tournament, Zemenova by no means came out of no where. Before coming to Baylor, she played on the pro tour and had a remarkable regular-season campaign this past year. She was the Big 12 Conference's version of Cohen -- going undefeated in conference play to make the All-Big 12 Team and claim Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year honors in the process. She was also named the Southwest Region's Rookie of the Year -- Cohen claimed that same nod for the Midwest Region and was later named the ITA's National Rookie of the Year.
In Saturday's championship match, Cohen got things started in a hurry. The first ball she hit was scorched down the middle for an ace. She would hold serve the first game and Zemenova did the same in the next game.
Cohen ripped another ace to start the third game, in which she again held serve, but Zemenova did not budge at all on the other end, as she held in the following game.
The Baylor Bear earned the first break of the match in the next game, but Cohen immediately broke back. Zemenova then broke Cohen for a second-straight time to bring the score to 4-3 in her favor.
Cohen really hit her stride from that point though, as she won the next two games. Later in the 10th game, she won four-straight points after being down 40-15 to close out the first set 6-4.
Unfortunately in the second set, the same bad back spasms that Cohen had to fight through the entire tournament came back to haunt her once again. She noticeably tightened up a bit, and actually took a medical timeout after Zemonova broke her to go up 4-1. Cohen broke back in the following game, but eventually lost the second set 6-2.
The third set was as up-and-down as they come. Cohen's poor second set initially spilled over into the decisive frame, as she dropped the first two games. But she then held serve, earned a big break after three deuces and claimed a 3-2 lead with a perfect service game in the fifth game. Zemenova came firing back to win the next two and retake the lead. Cohen broke the Bear again in the eighth game and later had a big hold after two deuces to go up 5-4.
The 10th game proved to be the turning point though. Cohen had a 30-0 lead and seemed to be heading for the title, but Zemenova used her pinpoint accuracy to claw back into the game, eventually winning to tie the score at 5-5. The Bear then took the next two games to secure the Big 12's first-ever NCAA women's tennis champion.
National Championship Match
Zuzana Zemenova (Baylor) def. #3 Audra Cohen (NU), 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
