The Harvard women’s tennis team doesn’t start team competition until the second semester, so it looks like junior co-captain Courtney Bergman will just take care of business by herself until then.

Bergman—who begins the singles season ranked No. 25 in the country and No. 24 in doubles along with partner, classmate and co-captain Susanna Lingman—stole the Crimson spotlight at the Leary Invitational last weekend at the University of Pennsylvania, finishing second in the singles division while advancing to the semifinals in doubles.

Bergman, ranked fourth in the draw, advanced to the quarterfinals without encountering any serious difficulties, passing through the first round on a bye before a straight set victory and a walkover resulting from an opponent’s injury.

“I had to fly in early Friday morning, which made it kind of tough to play a match at one,” Bergman said. “I didn’t feel super prepared...I think I just started playing pretty well right off the bat. I just played smart I guess.”

But Minnesota’s Angela Buergis, who was seeded fifth, threatened to derail Bergman just as she began hit her stride.

Buergis decisively captured the first set of their match 6-1, breaking serve three times and never offering even the smallest window of opportunity for Bergman to climb through.

“I played a girl who had a really strong forehand and a weaker backhand,” she said. “I started off slow and wasn’t playing as smart as I would like to have.”

But with the changeover preceding the second set came a switch in momentum as well, and when play resumed, Buergis didn’t stand a chance.

Seizing control of the pace of play, Bergman distanced herself from her earlier performance and dominated for the final two sets, winning 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“You never really want to lose the first set,” Bergman said. “But just because you’ve lost the first set doesn’t mean you’re out of it. I knew I was better than the other girl.”

From then until the finals, there was no looking back.

Facing second-seeded Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion, Bergman showed none of the vulnerability displayed in the previous round.

“At one point she was like No. 4 in the country. She’s been around a long time,” Bergman said of Cahana, who is now ranked No. 22 in the country. “It was definitely a big match. I lost to her in a tough match last year.”

Matching her opponent’s stamina and court coverage point for point, Bergman overpowered Cahana and her one-handed backhand. Never threatened, Bergman lost just two games over the course of the match, advancing to the finals on the strength of a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

“Everything I did was working. I played really aggressive tennis and came into the net a lot,” Bergman said. “I was just dictating the whole match, but I was surprised to win 6-1, 6-1. We had good games, but it was just one of those days.”