Deniz Dilek Delivers in the Clutch as Georgia Wins ITA National Indoor Title in a Thriller
When the pressure peaked and the lights were brightest, Georgia freshman Deniz Dilek didn’t blink. Down 5-0 in a third-set tiebreaker with the national title hanging in the balance, Dilek mounted a comeback that will be etched into Georgia tennis history. Her gritty, fearless play capped off a dramatic 4-3 victory for the Bulldogs over a tenacious Ohio State squad in the final of the ITA Women’s Division I National Team Indoor Championships.
This was no ordinary win. This was a championship that demanded every ounce of fight, every inch of court, and every nerve of steel. And Dilek, the 18-year-old from Turkey, delivered it all.
Fast Start, Fitting Finish
Georgia, the defending champions and No. 2 seed, came out of the gates looking like a team on a mission at Northwestern’s Combe Tennis Center. They jumped ahead in doubles, with commanding performances at the top two lines.
Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte wasted no time, rolling to a 6-1 win at No. 2.
But it was Dilek and fellow freshman Aysegul Mert who had to grind it out at No. 1.
After saving multiple break points and holding serve in a pressure-packed game at 4-3, they sealed the doubles point with a 6-4 win.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s No. 3 pair, Anastasiia Gureva and Emma Dong, clawed back from a 5-1 deficit to tie their match before it was halted. That resilience would set the tone for what was to come.
Ohio State, playing in their first-ever Team Indoor final, had already shown in their wins over North Carolina and Texas A&M that they were more than capable of rallying after losing the doubles point. And true to form, they didn’t go away quietly.
Singles Drama: A Match of Momentum Swings
Georgia struck first in singles with Gureva’s clinical 6-2, 6-2 win at line 4, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. Dilek, who had raced to a 6-0, 2-0 lead over Ohio State’s Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev at line 3, looked poised to make it 3-0. But Cisse-Ignatiev flipped the script, clawing back to take the second set and force a decider.
As the rest of the matches tightened, Ohio State began to surge. Teah Chavez got the Buckeyes on the board with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Mert at line 2.
Sofia Rojas answered for Georgia at line 6, grinding out a 7-6(3), 6-4 win over Hephzibah Oluwadare to make it 3-1. But once again, Ohio State responded.
Luciana Perry, steady and composed, took down Lopata 7-6(4), 6-4 at No. 1.
With the score now 3-2, the tension ratcheted up. At line 5, Georgia’s Emma Dong needed to win a second-set tiebreaker to stay alive against Audrey Spencer. She had a set point at 7-6, but Spencer held firm, eventually closing it out 6-4, 7-6(7) to tie the match at 3-3.
All eyes turned to court three.
Dilek’s Moment
It’s one thing to be in the deciding match of a national championship. It’s another to be down 5-0 in the third-set tiebreaker. That’s where Dilek found herself-backed into a corner, with the title slipping away.
But she refused to fold.
Point by point, Dilek chipped away. She won three straight to make it 5-3.
Then, after Cisse-Ignatiev pushed it to 6-3 and earned three championship points, Dilek held her nerve. Two solid points on serve brought her to 6-5.
A deep rally forced an error to even it at 6-6. Cisse-Ignatiev earned a fourth match point, but Dilek erased it with a forehand that clipped the line.
At 7-7, Dilek chased down a drop shot and ripped a crosscourt winner that will live in Bulldog lore. One point later, Cisse-Ignatiev’s backhand found the net-and Georgia’s celebration was on.
Red jerseys stormed the court. A circle of joy erupted. And for the third straight season, Georgia stood atop the college tennis world, with the 2025 NCAA title now sandwiched between back-to-back National Indoor crowns.
A Final Worthy of the Stage
This one had everything-momentum swings, clutch performances, and two teams that refused to go quietly. Ohio State may have come up just short, but their run to the final, and their performance in it, signaled a program on the rise. They pushed the defending champs to the absolute brink and nearly pulled off the upset.
For Georgia, it’s another trophy for the case-and another moment that proves why this program continues to set the bar in women’s college tennis.
Final Score: Georgia [2] def. Ohio State [5], 4-3
Doubles Results:
- Dilek/Mert (UGA) def.
Oluwadare/Chavez (OSU) - 6-4
2.
Lopata/Paukstyte (UGA) def. Perry/Johnson (OSU) - 6-1
- Gureva/Dong (UGA) vs.
Cisse-Ignatiev/Spencer (OSU) - 5-5, DNF
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles Results:
- Perry (OSU) def.
Lopata (UGA) - 7-6(4), 6-4
2.
Chavez (OSU) def. Mert (UGA) - 7-5, 6-4
- Dilek (UGA) def.
Cisse-Ignatiev (OSU) - 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(7)
4.
Gureva (UGA) def. Nishino (OSU) - 6-2, 6-2
- Spencer (OSU) def.
Dong (UGA) - 6-4, 7-6(7)
6.
Rojas (UGA) def. Oluwadare (OSU) - 7-6(3), 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3
What’s Next
The spotlight now shifts to the ITA Men’s Division I Team Indoor Championships, which kick off Friday in Texas. Seeds are set, matchups are locked in, and the men’s field is stacked with talent. Expect more drama, more upsets, and more moments that define a season.
But for now, the story belongs to Georgia-and to a freshman who stared down the pressure and delivered when it mattered most.