Exciting Matches But Few Upsets as ITA Women's D-I Team Indoor Begins; Giron Defeats Top Seed Fritz to Reach Semis at ATP Dallas Open; Shang Receives Wild Card to ATP Event in Rio

The ITA Women's Team Indoor was back to its usual 16 teams this year after only eight teams participated in last year's event due to the pandemic. That didn't make the first matches any easier for the seeds, as No. 4 Cal, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 6 North Carolina State and No. 7 Virginia all were pushed before posting victories.

Virginia lost the doubles point and four first sets in singles, but the Cavaliers battled back for a 4-2 win over Florida, with 2021 NCAA champion Emma Navarro clinching the title at line 1.  The Wolfpack got all it could handle from Auburn, with Jaeda Daniel winning the last five games of her match at line 1 for a 4-2 win.  Pepperdine's 4-1 win over Old Dominion was much closer than that score would indicate, with the Waves forced to three sets in the last three singles matches. Freshman Savannah Broadus clinched the win for Pepperdine at line 6.

Cal and Texas A&M went to a third set tiebreaker on the last match on, with the Bears' Hannah Viller Moeller coming from 5-3 down in that final tiebreaker at line 6 to take it 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). Aggie freshman Jeanette Mireles was more aggressive, and she blasted a backhand winner to save a match point on a deciding point at 4-5 in the third set, but Viller Moeller's outstanding defense kept her in every point. At 5-4, Mireles thought she had hit an angled winner from one side line to the next, but Viller Moeller called it out and the call was confirmed by the chair umpire so instead of two match points for Mireles it was 5-5, and Viller Moeller won the next two points to give Cal the win.

The Cal-Texas A&M match went nearly four hours, so the two late matches--No. 1 seed Texas versus Southern Cal and No. 8 seed Oklahoma versus Wisconsin--were delayed. I'll post those box scores when I get them.

Saturday's main draw matches:

9 AM (Central)
No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 7 Virginia

Noon
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 North Carolina State

3:30 PM
No. 4 Cal vs. No. 5 Pepperdine

6:30 PM
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Oklahoma

Cracked Racquets is providing RedZone coverage of the tournament with Alex Gruskin and Mike Cation on the call at their YouTube channel.

BOX SCORES, Round of 16 Matches, February 11, 2022:

North Carolina[2] 4, Ohio State 1
Singles
1. Irina Cantos (OSU) def. Cameron Morra (UNC) 6-0, 6-4
2. Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. Isabelle Boulais (OSU) 6-2, 6-0
3. Reilly Tran (UNC) def. Sydni Ratliff (OSU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Fiona Crawley (UNC) def. Kolie Allen (OSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Carson Tanguilig (UNC) vs. Lucia Marzal (OSU) 6-3, 4-5, unfinished
6. Anika Yarlagadda (UNC) vs. Luna Dormet (OSU) 6-4, 5-2, unfinished

Order of Finish: 2,1,3,4

Doubles
1. Fiona Crawley/Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. Cantos/Ratliff (OSU) 6-3
2. Boulais/Allen (OSU) def. Cameron Morra/Carson Tanguilig (UNC) 6-2
3. Alle Sanford/Reilly Tran (UNC) def. Marzal/Dormet (OSU) 6-2

Order of Finish: 1,2,3
==================

Virginia[7] 4, Florida 2

Singles 

1. Emma Navarro (VA) def. McCartney Kessler (UF) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

2. Alicia Dudeney (UF) vs. Elaine Chervinsky (VA) 6-2, 4-6, 3-5, unfinished

3. Marlee Zein (UF) def. Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2

4. Sofia Munera (VA) def. Emma Shelton (UF) 6-1, 6-3

5. Sara Ziodato (VA) def. Carly Briggs (UF) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

6. Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. Sydney Berlin (UF) 6-4, 7-5

Order of Finish: 4,6,3,5,1

Doubles

1. Amber O’Dell/Emma Navarro (VA) def. Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein (UF) 6-1

2. Alicia Dudeney/Bente Spee (UF) def. Elaine Chervinsky/Natasha Subhash (VA) 7-6(8)

3. McCartney Kessler/Emma Shelton (UF) def. Hibah Shaikh/Sofia Munera (VA) 7-6(3)

Order of Finish: 1,3,2

====================

Georgia[3] 4, Washington 0

Singles

1. Vanessa Wong (WASH) vs. Lea Ma (UGA) 7-5, 4-3, unfinished 

2. Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin (WASH) 6-2, 6-2

3. Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. Nika Zupacic (WASH) 6-3, 6-4

4. Hikaru Sato (WASH) vs. Ania Hertel (UGA) 7-5, 1-3, unfinished

5. Morgan Coppoc (UGA) def. Astrid Olsen (WASH) 6-0, 6-3

6. Meg Kowalski vs. Kelly Leung (WASH) 6-0, 3-6, 3-2, unfinished

Order of Finish: 5,2,3

Doubles

1. Morgan Coppoc/Ania Hertel (UGA) vs. Vanessa Wong/Hikaru Sato (WASH) 3-4, unfinished

2. Mell Reasco/Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin/Nika Zupancic 6-3, 6-4

3. Meg Kowalski/Guillermina Grant (UGA) def. Kelly Leung/Zoey Weil 6-3

Order of Finish: 2,3

=====================

NC State[6] 4, Auburn 2

Singles 

1. Jaeda Daniel (NCSU) def. Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-2, 7-5

2. Ariana Arseneault (AUB) def. Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) 6-1, 7-6(4)

3. Carolyn Ansari (AUB) vs.  Priska Nugroho (NCSU) 7-6(7), 2-1, unfinished

4. Nell Miller (NCSU) def. Adeline Flach (AUB) 6-1, 6-4

5. Sophie Abrams (NCSU) def. Georgie Axon (AUB) 6-1, 6-3

6. Yu Chen (AUB) def. Amelia Rajecki (NCSU) 6-4, 6-3

Order of Finish: 5,4,6,2,1

Doubles

1. Abigail Rencheli/Amelia Rajecki (NCSU) def.  Ariana Arseneault/Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-1

2. Jaeda Daniel/Nell Miller (NCSU) def. Adeline Flach/Georgie Axon (AUB) 6-1

3. Sara Nayar/Priska Nugroho (NCSU) vs. Carolyn Ansari/Madeline Meredith (AUB) 4-4, unfinished

Order of Finish: 2, 1

=========================

Cal[4] 4, Texas A&M 3

Singles

1. Haley Giavara (CAL) def. Carson Branstine (TAMU) 6-4, 6-3

2. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. Valentina Ivanov (CAL) 6-1, 6-2

3. Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Jessica Alsola (CAL) 6-3, 6-3

4. Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) def. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) 6-2, 6-3

5. Katja Wiersholm (CAL) def. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) 6-2, 6-2

6. Hannah Viller Moeller def. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)

Order of Finish: 4,2,1,5,3,6

Doubles

1.Tatiana Makarova/Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) d. Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (CAL) 6-1

2. Carson Branstine/ Mary Stoiana (TAMU) vs. Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (CAL) 5-2, unfinished

3. Gianna Pielet/Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) d. Erin Richardson/Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) 6-3

Order of Finish:

1,3

=======================

Pepperdine[5] 4, Old Dominion 1

Singles

1. Shiori Fukuda (PEPP) vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva (ODU) 5-7, 6-1, 4-2, unfinished

2. Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. Tatsiana Sasnouskaya (ODU) 6-1, 6-2

3. Marina Alcaide (ODU) vs. Victoria Flores (PEPP) 3-6, 6-2, 5-3

4. Aleksandra Viktorovich (ODU) def. Taisiya Pachkaleva (PEPP) 6-1, 6-4

5. Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Sofia Johnson (ODU) 6-1, 6-3

6. Savannah Broadus (PEPP) def. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4

Order of Finish: 5,2,4,6

Doubles

1. Victoria Flores/Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. Tatsiana Sasnouskaya/Juliia Starodubtseva (ODU) 6-3

2. Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Alesya Yakubovich/Aleksandra Viktorovich 6-3

3. Shiori Fukuda/Anastasia Iamachkine vs. Sofia Johnson/Marina Alcaide:  6-5, unfinished

Order of Finish:

2,1

=============================

Texas[1] 4,  Southern Cal 1

Singles

1. Peyton Stearns (UT) def. Eryn Cayetano (USC) 6-2, 6-1

2. Salma Ewing (USC) vs. Kylie Collins (UT) 7-5, 3-5, unfinished

3. Snow Han (USC) def. Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) 6-1, 6-4

4. Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Grace Piper (USC) 6-3, 7-5

5. Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Danielle Willson (USC) 6-3, 6-4

6. Malaika Rapolu (UT) vs McKenna Koenig (USC) 2-6, 6-1, 5-3, unfinished

Order of Finish: 1,3,5,4

Doubles

1. Eryn Cayetano/Grace Piper (USC) def. Kylie Collins/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) 6-2

2. Peyton Stearns/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Salma Ewing/McKenna Koenig (USC) 6-2

3. Allura Zamarripa/Bella Zamarripa (UT) def. Danielle Willson/Snow Han 6-3

Order of Finish: 1,2,3

=======================

Oklahoma[8] 4, Wisconsin 0

Singles

1. Layne Sleeth (OU) vs. Xinyu Cai (WISC) 6-1, 5-2, unfinished

2. Carmen Corley (OU) vs Ava Markham (WISC) 6-2, 1-6, unfinished

3. Ivana Corley (OU) def. Alina Mukhortova (WISC) 6-3, 6-1

4. Anchisa Chanta (OU) def. Charmaine Seah (WISC) 6-3, 6-0

5. Alexandra Pisareva (OU) vs. Denise Stoica (WISC) 6-3, 3-4, unfinished

6. Emma Staker (OU) def. Taylor Cataldi (WISC) 6-1 ,6-4

Order of Finish: 4,2,6

Doubles

1. Carmen Corley/Ivana Corley (OU) def. Xinyu Cai/Alina Mukhortova (WISC)  6-4

2. Layne Sleeth/Alexandra Pisareva (OU) def. Taylor Cataldi/Charmaine Seah (WISC) 6-2

3. Ariel Johnson/Ava Markham (WISC) def. Anchisa Chanta/Emma Staker (OU) 6-3

Order of Finish: 2,3,1

========================================

Three Americans have advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 250 in Dallas, with No. 4 seed Jenson Brooksby(Baylor), No. 7 seed Marcos Giron(UCLA) and No. 3 seed John Isner(Georgia) winning their quarterfinal matches today. No. 2 seed Reilly Opelka can make it an all-US final four if he beats No. 5 seed Adrian Mannarino of France in tonight's late match. Giron defeated top seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3) to reach the second ATP semifinal of his pro career. For more on Giron's win, see this Associated Press article.

Juncheng Jerry Shang, the 2021 ITF World Junior champion, retired from his quarterfinal match today at the $15,000 USTA men's Pro Circuit tournament in Naples Florida with No. 7 seed Jose Pereira of Brazil holding a 6-2, 4-5 lead. IMG announced this evening that Shang had received a wild card into the main draw at next week's ATP 500 tournament in Rio de Janiero, so maybe it wasn't an injury that led to his retirement today. The 17-year-old from China, who trains at IMG in Bradenton and is represented by them, received a wild card into the Miami Open qualifying last year and pushed Liam Broady to a third set tiebreaker. Both Rio and Miami are tournaments managed by IMG.

At the J1 Asuncion Bowl Leanid Boika lost in the singles semifinals, while he and Alexander Razeghi fell in the doubles final.  Unseeded Peter Nad of Slovakia beat Boika, the No. 6 seed, 6-4, 6-2. Unseeded Diogo Morais and Tiago Pereira of Portugal defeated Boika and Razeghi, the No. 4 seeds, 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 in the doubles final today.