Pencilling in the University of North Carolina for the ITA Women's Division I Team Indoor Championships final would be smart, with the second-seeded Tar Heels having contested the last seven. But the two-time defending champions got all they wanted and then some from No. 6 seed North Carolina State, who pushed them to the limit in today's semifinals before UNC took a 4-1 decision.
After taking a routine doubles point and four first sets in singles, North Carolina looked ready to cruise. But the Wolfpack, who had earned two tough 4-2 wins over Auburn and Georgia to reach their first WTI semifinal had other ideas, forcing third sets at lines 1 and 6 to extend the match. NC State briefly tied the match at 1 with Abigail Rencheli's 6-3, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Scotty at line 2, but North Carolina got some breathing room with wins by Carson Tanguilig at line 5 and Reilly Tran at line 3 to make it 3-1 Tar Heels. It stayed that way for a very long time, with the three remaining matches just starting their third sets.
North Carolina's Fiona Crawley had two clinch points with Nell Miller serving at 3-5 at line 4, but Miller saved them both. Crawley had another on a deuce point serving for the match at 5-4, but she put a short forehand well wide. NC State's Jaeda Daniel had earned a break at line 1 to lead Cameron Morra 4-3 in the third, while Amelia Rajecki and UNC's Anika Yarlagadda were at 4-4 in the third set of their match at line 6.
Rajecki got the break and an opportunity to serve for the match at 5-4, but she was broken without getting to a match point; meanwhile Crawley saved a match point on a deuce point at 5-6 to force a tiebreaker. Morra, who had taken a medical timeout at 3-4, broke back on a deuce point in the next game, after Daniel had built a 40-0 lead.
Yarlagadda held for 6-5 to put the pressure back on Rajecki, and she was unable to handle it, going down 0-40 and sending a forehand long to give UNC the spot in Monday's final.
North Carolina[2] 4, North Carolina State[6] 1Singles
1. Cameron Morra (UNC) vs. Jaeda Daniel (NCST) 6-2, 4-6, 5-4, unfinished
2. Abigail Rencheli (NCST) def. Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) 6-3, 6-2
3. Reilly Tran (UNC) def. Priska Nugroho 6-4, 6-1
4. Nell Miller (NCST) vs. Fiona Crawley (UNC) 6-2, 3-6, 6-6 (4-2), unfinished
5. Carson Tanguilig (UNC) def. Sophie Abrams (NCST) 7-5, 6-3
6. Anika Yarlagadda (UNC) def. Amelia Rajecki (NCST) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Order of Finish: 2,5,3,6
Doubles
1. Fiona Crawley/Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) def. Amelia Rajecki/Abigail Rencheli 6-2
2. Jaeda Daniel/Nell Miller (NCST) def. Cameron Morra/Carson Tanguilig (UNC) 6-2
3. Alle Sanford/Reilly Tran (UNC) def. Sara Nayar/Priska Nugroho 6-2
Order of Finish 2,3,1
As inexperienced as North Carolina is experienced, Oklahoma didn't need any seasoning to reach their first final in the program's first appearance in the tournament. The Sooners, seeded No. 8, defeated No. 5 seed Pepperdine 4-2 in a match that finished after 9 p.m. Central time, with freshman Emma Staker getting a second consecutive clinch for the Sooners at line 6.
Staker trailed Pepperdine's Nikki Redelijk 6-4, 4-6, 5-3, but Redelijk was unable to serve out the match and found herself at a deuce point serving at 5-6. That was of course a match point for Staker, and after a long rally, with both players hitting with pace and depth, Redelijk went for the sideline. Staker called the ball out, and Oklahoma began to celebrate, but she was overruled by the chair umpire, which meant she had to collect herself for the tiebreaker.
Meanwhile, the tide had turned in the other match still on court, with Oklahoma's Layne Sleeth losing four straight games to Shiori Fukuda from 3-0 up in the third set at line 1. Suddenly the two chances Oklahoma had to close out the Waves looked a lot more like one, with all the pressure on Staker to get it done. She went up 4-2 and 5-3, but a exquisite drop shot by Redelijk got that minibreak back and she won the next point to make it 5-5. Throughout the late stages, both players kept making serves and going for their shots, and in that spirit, Staker aimed for the far sideline with a big forehand and got it, earning her second match point.
By this time, Pepperdine's Fukuda was serving for the match at 5-3, so the next point would likely decide who would get to the final. Another long, tough rally ensued, and it was Redelijk who eventually lost control of a forehand, sending it well wide. This time the celebration actually happened, with Oklahoma's Cinderella story continuing.
After beating top seed Texas in Saturday's quarterfinals, the question of whether the Sooners would be satisfied with that was answered Sunday with a resounding no, and they will get another chance to challenge a favorite Monday.
Oklahoma[8] 4, Pepperdine[5] 2
Singles
1. Shiori Fukuda (PEPP) vs. Layne Sleeth (OU) 7-5, 5-7, 5-3, unfinished
2. Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. Carmen Corley (OU) 6-4, 6-1
3. Ivana Corley (OU) def. Victoria Flores (PEPP) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
4. Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Anchisa Chanta (OU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Alexandra Pisareva (OU) def. Savannah Broadus (PEPP) 6-3, 7-6(7)
6. Emma Staker (OU) def. Nikki Redelijk (PEPP) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5)
Order of Finish 2,4,5,3,6
Doubles
1. Carmen Corley/Ivana Corley (OU) d. Lisa Zaar/Victoria Flores (PEPP) 6-4
2. Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Layne Sleeth/Alexandra Pisareva (OU) 6-1
3. Anchisa Chanta/Emma Staker (OU) def. Shiori Fukuda/Anastasia Iamachkine (PEPP) 7-5.
Order of Finish: 2,1,3
Reilly Opelka won his third ATP title today at the inaugural
Dallas Open, defeating Jenson Brooksby 7-6(5), 7-6(3). Opelka, the No. 2 seed, had lost to No. 4 seed Brooksby last fall in the only previous meeting. Three of Opelka's four wins were all-tiebreakers, with the 24-year-old winning all six of them. All three of Opelka's titles have come in February, in the United States (New York 2019, Delray Beach 2020, Dallas 2022). Marcelo Arevalo(Tulsa) of El Salvador and Jean-Julien Rojer(UCLA) of the Netherlands won the doubles title, with the top seeds defeating Lloyd Glasspool(Texas) of Great Britain and Harri Heliovaara of Finland 7-6(4), 6-4 in the final.
Fourteen-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova won her second consecutive
$25,000 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour title today in Argentina, defeating top seed Paula Ormaechea of Argentina 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Fruhvirtova, who had beaten Ormaechea in the semifinals en route to last week's title, saved two break points to hold for 4-3, broke to go up 5-3, lost that game quickly, but broke Ormaechea at 30-40 in the final game to secure her tenth straight win.
Two Americans are through to the main draw at the
Delray Beach Open, with Stefan Kozlov and Mitchell Krueger getting through final round qualifying matches today. Kozlov advanced when Bjorn Fratangelo retired trailing 6-3, 1-0 and Krueger advanced when Ernesto Escobedo retired after winning the first set 6-1 and losing the second 6-4.
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