WACO, Texas — For Pepperdine senior Savannah Broadus, the first round of the 2024 NCAA Singles Championship felt like a full-circle moment.
Playing in her home state of Texas and in front of plenty of friends and family members, the Carrollton native embarked on her fourth and final NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship by beating Ole Miss senior Anaelle Leclercq-Ficher 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday afternoon.
The back courts of Hurd Tennis Center did not sound like a neutral site for the brisk 90-minute match. Broadus' extended family, her mother's clients and even her juniors coach — who had never seen Broadus play a college match in person — had plenty of reasons to cheer. Relying on great serving and an aggressive approach in the second set, Broadus took a double-break lead early in both sets and flashed several strong overheads late in the second set.
"It meant a lot to have them all there," Broadus said. "It was really special — I don't know what other words there are to describe it — especially because it's my last NCAA Tournament. I think that's part of why I was so nervous; I wanted to make them proud. I know they love me no matter what, but it was a different feeling. It almost felt like a dual match."
Her nerves were not apparent early. Becoming just the fifth Wave to play in four NCAA Singles Tournaments, Broadus quickly went up a break, then broke Leclercq-Ficher again after the Ole Miss senior double-faulted twice in the third game. Broadus consolidated the break in the fourth game, then Leclercq-Ficher held serve in the fifth to finally get on the board.
"[Pepperdine head coach Adam Schaechterle] and I talked about the tone I want to set all week, which is to have a good attitude no matter if I win or lose the point," Broadus said. "As long as I try my hardest, I know I can walk off the court and be proud of myself."
Broadus found her rhythm in the sixth game. At 30-all, Leclercq-Ficher returned Broadus' second serve long, and then the Pepperdine senior's ace helped her hold serve. The first set was played on serve, as Broadus eventually won 6-2.
"For the majority of the first set, I felt the nerves set in," Broadus said. "But by the end of the first set, I started to settle in a bit more."
Just as she did in the first set, Broadus went up a break in a blink. She broke Leclercq-Ficher on deuce point to open the set, then consolidated the break, but the match was played on serve until Leclercq-Ficher broke Broadus in the sixth game by winning all four points to tie the score at three games apiece.
Yet Leclercq-Ficher was broken on a double-fault to put the match back on serve, albeit for a moment. The Ole Miss Frenchwoman broke back on deuce point for her second break point win of the evening.
That break sparked something in Broadus. Up until that point, the Pepperdine senior won most of her points along the baseline, yet the senior took a different approach. She tied the score at 30-all after advancing to the net and winning on an overhead, then she forced deuce point for the second time in the set. This time, however, Broadus broke Leclercq-Ficher herself for a 5-4 lead.
"I was really happy that I was able to translate those shots to the match," Broadus said. "Sometimes you get nervous and you don't want to commit to those plays, but I was really happy with being able to trust myself and the work I've done to earn my spots at the net. Having that mindset helped me relax a bit more. I earned being able to be in that position — I just had to trust it."
Taking advice from Schaechterle at the changeover, Broadus played free in the final game of the match. The senior served out the match in the tenth game, capping off a 6-2, 6-4 win in front of the lively, pro-Pepperdine crowd.
Two important milestones occurred with Broadus' win. Pepperdine women's tennis players have won at least one NCAA singles match in the last nine postseasons. Additionally, Broadus moved into third all-time in Pepperdine history with 112 career singles wins.
Tomorrow, Broadus will face Virginia junior Annabelle Xu in the second round at noon local time (10 a.m. PT). This will be their first-ever meeting. Later on Wednesday, Broadus and Vivian Yang will take on Guillerma Grant and Aysegul Mert in the first round of the doubles tournament at 6 p.m. local time (4 p.m. PT). All matches will be livestreamed via ESPN+ and will have color commentary from Cracked Racquets. Pertinent links can be found on the women's tennis team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
RESULTS
Singles First Round
#9-16
Savannah Broadus def. Anaelle Leclercq-Ficher (MISS) 6-2, 6-4
