Tight Matches but Ultimately Few Surprises in Opening Round of ITA Division I Women's Indoor Championships; Texas Men Breeze Past No. 1 TCU in Austin
The top seeds at both sites of this year's ITA Women's Division I Team Indoor Championships are through to Saturday's quarterfinals, but there were a few anxious moments and some minor upsets at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.
Michigan, the No. 2 seed at Illinos, began the day with an efficient 4-0 win over No. 7 seed LSU, which boasts two Canadian freshmen in the WTA Top 300: Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross. Once they lost the doubles point however, the Tigers' chances of an upset faded, and the lower part of Michigan's lineup delivered the three points they needed. Michigan, who made the final last year, losing to Oklahoma State, will face No. 6 seed Oklahoma in the quarterfinals Saturday at noon central time.
Michigan[2] 4, LSU[7] 0Doubles:
1. Piper Charney and Jessica Bernales(MICH) v Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross(LSU) 6-5, unf.
2. Julia Fliegner and Reese Miller(MICH) d. Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Saahdiieva(LSU) 6-1
3. Ava Bruno and Lily Jones(MICH) d. Kenna Erickson and Gaby Rivera(LSU) 7-5
Order of finish: 2,3
Singles:
1. Julia Fliegner(MICH) v Cadence Brace(LSU) 6-4, 0-6, unf.
2. Kayla Cross(LSU) v Piper Charney(MICH) 6-1, 5-5, unf.
3. Lily Jones(MICH) d. Tilwith Di Girolami(LSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Anita Sahdiieva(LSU) v Emily Sartz-Lunde(MICH) 6-2, 3-3, unf.
5. Reese Miller(MICH) d. Kinaa Graham(LSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Jessica Bernales(MICH) d. Gaby Rivera(LSU) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6
No. 6 seed Oklahoma pulled off the biggest upset by seeding today, defeating No. 3 seed UCLA 4-2 despite dropping the doubles point. That long and dramatic doubles point went to the Bruins in a tiebreaker at line 1, but Oklahoma, a Team Indoor finalist in 2022, dominated in singles with the top of the Sooners lineup delivering two key points and the bottom two spots finishing it off, without any third sets necessary.
Doubles:
1. Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle(UCLA) d. Cara Mester and Aline Shcherbinina(OU) 7-6(3)
2. Kate Fakih and Olivia Center(UCLA) d. Julia Garcia Ruiz and Chloe Noel(OU) 6-2
3. Salakthip Ounmang and Gloriana Nahum(OU) d. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Ahmani Guichard(UCLA) 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles:
1. Julia Garcia Ruiz(OU) d. Kimmi Hance(UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
2. Alina Shcherbinina(OU d. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer(UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
3. Elise Wagle(UCLA) d. Salakthip Ounmang(OU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Emma Staker(OU) v Kate Fakih(UCLA) 6-4, 6-6, unf.
5. Gloriana Nahum(OU) d. Ahmani Guichard(UCLA) 6-4, 6-4
6. Ava Catanzarite(OU) d. Olivia Center(UCLA) 7-6(5), 6-1
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
There will be a new champion this year, after defending champion Oklahoma State, the No. 4 seed, lost to No. 5 seed Texas 4-0. The Longhorns saved a match point at line 2 to take the doubles points in a tiebreaker, and that was the most dramatic stage of the match, with Texas dominating at the bottom of the lineup, sweeping 4, 5, and 6 while dropping just nine games in those three matches.
Doubles:
1. Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp(OSU) d. Ashton Bowers and Ariana Pursoo(TEX) 6-2
2. Salma Drugdova and Carmen Herea(TEX) d. Kylie Collins and Alian Zack(OSU) 7-6(6)
3. Eszter Meri and Sabina Zeynalova(TEX) d. Gracie Epps and Marcela Lopez(OSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles:
1. Sabina Zeynalova(TEX) v Kylie Collins(OSU) 6-2, 3-3, unf.
2. Eszter Meri(TEX) v Anastasiya Komar(OSU) 7-6(2), 2-1, unf.
3. Carmen Herea(TEX) v Gracie Epps(OSU) 6-4, 0-6, 2-2
4. Ashton Bowers(TEX) d. Rose Marie Nijkamp(OSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Salma Drugdova(TEX) d. Marcela Lopez(OSU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Vivian Ovrootsky(TEX) d. Alian Zack(OSU) 6-0 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 4, 6
Texas will play reigning NCAA champions Texas A&M, with the top-seeded Aggies defeating host Illinois, the No. 8 seeds, 4-0. Texas A&M won the doubles point, got points from No. 1 Mary Stoiana and No. 2 Nicole Khirin and freshman Lexington Reed at line 6 to claim the third 4-0 victory out of four matches played Friday at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign-Urbana.
Doubles:
1. Mary Stoiana and Lucciana Perez(TAMU) d. Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari(ILL) 6-3
2. Mia Kupres and Daria Smetannikov(TAMU) d. McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treibert(ILL) 6-2
3. Jeanette Mireles and Nicole Khirin(TAMU) v Violeta Martinez and Alice Xu(ILL) 5-5, unf.
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles:
1. Mary Stoiana(TAMU) d. McKenna Schaefbauer(ILL) 6-3, 6-3
2. Nicole Khirin(TAMU) d. Megan Heuser(ILL) 6-3, 7-5
3. Mia Kupres(TAMU) v Violeta Martinez(ILL) 4-6, 6-3, unf.
4. Lucciana Perez(TAMU) v Kida Ferrari(ILL) 1-6, 6-2, 1-1, unf.
5. Daria Smetannikov(TAMU) v Ariel Madatali(ILL) 6-1, 3-6, unf.
6. Lexington Reed(TAMU) d. Kasia Treibert(ILL) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 1, 2
The matches at the Northwestern site were much more complicated, starting with No. 3 seed Virginia's 4-2 win over No. 6 seed Tennessee. Playing without their No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles player Elaine Chervinsky, the Cavaliers did manage to earn the doubles point, but couldn't shake the Volunteers in singles. At 2-2, all three remaining matches were in the third set, with Virginia freshman Isabelle Lacy giving her team the lead with a win at line 3. Tennessee freshman Conley Raidt, who had put Tennessee in the Indoor Championships with a third-set tiebreaker win against Ohio State at Kickoff Weekend, served for the match against Blanca Pico Narvarro at line 6, but couldn't provide the heroics she displayed against the Buckeyes, losing in the subsequent tiebreaker, as the other match on court, at line 2, was at 5-all in the third, with Catherine Aulia of Tennessee fighting back from a 4-2 deficit in her match with Sara Ziodato.
Northwestern site
Doubles:
1. Karolina Kozakova and Melodie Collard(UVA) d. Elza Tomase and Elim Yan(TENN) 6-4
2. Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso(TENN) v Martine Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu(UVA) 6-5, unf.
3. Margaret Navarro and Sara Ziodato(UVA) d. Maeve Thornton and Vanesa Suarez(TENN) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3
Singles:
1. Elza Tomase(TENN) d. Annabelle Xu(UVA) 7-6(2), 6-4
2. Catherine Aulia(TENN) v Sara Ziodato(UVA) 7-6(8), 3-6, 5-5, unf.
3. Isabelle Lacy(UVA) d. Maeve Thornton(TENN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
4. Leyla Britez Risso(TENN) d. Martina Genis Salas 6-1, 6-3
5. Melodie Collard(UVA) d. Vanesa Suarez(TENN) 7-6(1), 6-1
6. Blanca Pico Navarro(UVA) d. Conley Raidt(TENN) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3)
Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 6
Virginia's win set up a rematch with No. 2 seed North Carolina, who lost to the Cavaliers last month in Charlottesville 4-3.
The Tar Heels defeated Pepperdine, despite the loss of the doubles point, which came down to a tiebreaker at line 1, 4-1.
It was far from easy however, as the other two singles matches were just beginning third sets when Claire Hill, on her sixth match point, finally ended it, beating Duru Soke 7-6(1), 7-5 at line 6. Hill, a freshman, had led 5-1 in the set.
Doubles:
1. Savannah Broadus and Vivian Yang(PEPP) d. Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton(UNC) 7-6(2)
2. Susanna Maltby and Carson Tanguilig(UNC) d. Taylor Goetz and Duru Soke(PEPP) 6-4
3. Anastasiia Grechkina and Alexia Harmon(PEPP) d. Tatum Evans and Theadora Rabman(UNC) 6-1
Order of finish: 3. 2. 1
1. Reese Brantmeier(UNC) d. Savannah Braodus(PEPP) 6-3, 6-1
2. Anastasiia Grechkina(PEPP) v Theadora Rabman(UNC) 6-3, 6-7(5), 1-0 unf.
3. Alanis Hamilton(UNC) d. Vivian Yang(PEPP) 6-4, 6-0
4. Carson Tanguilig(UNC) d. Liam Oved(PEPP) 6-3, 6-0
5. Alexia Harmon(PEPP) v Tatum Evans(UNC) 3-6, 7-5, 0-1, unf.
6. Claire Hill(UNC) d. Duru Soke(PEPP) 7-6(1), 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4, 6
The other No. 5 vs No. 4 seed match today, also resulted in a routine victory for the No. 5 seed, with Auburn defeating Stanford 4-1.
Stanford had a real chance to seize momentum when they came back from 5-1 down in the doubles match that decided the point at line 2, but Auburn's Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat managed to right the ship at the last possible moment to beat Valencia Xu and Chidimma Okpara 7-6(5), giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Stanford pulled even briefly, with Xu's win at line 4 over Refaat, but Auburn got wins from NCAA finalist DJ Bennett at line 1, Ava Esposito at line 5 and the clinch from Okutoyi at line 3 to put the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the Indoor Championships for the first time in program history.
1. Connie Ma and Valerie Glozman(STAN) d. Ava Hrastar and DJ Bennett(AUB) 6-2
2. Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat(AUB) d. Valencia Xu and Chidimma Okpara(STAN) 7-6(5)
3. Ava Esposito and Maria Garcia(AUB) d. Katherine Hui and Caroline Driscoll(STAN) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2,
1. DJ Bennett(AUB) d. Valerie Glozman(STAN) 7-5, 6-1
2. Connie Ma(STAN) v Ava Hrastar(AUB) 6-4, 4-3, unf.
3. Angella Okutoyi(AUB) d. Katherine Hui(STAN) 7-6(1), 6-4
4. Valencia Xu(STAN) d. Merna Refaat(AUB) 6-3, 6-1
5. Ava Esposito(AUB) d.Chidimma Okpara(STAN) 6-3, 7-6(5)
6. Caroline Driscoll(STAN) v Alice Battesti(AUB) 6-4, 2-4, unf.
Order of finish: 4, 1, 5, 3
Auburn will play SEC rival Georgia, the No. 1 seed at Northwestern, who took out the hosts 4-0 in the night match in Evanston.
Doubles:
1. Dasha Vidmanova and Mell Reasco(UGA) d. Britany Lau and Mike Dagan Fruchtman(NU) 6-3
2. Sydney Pratt and Erica Jessel(NU) d. Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata(UGA) 6-2
3. Aysegul Mert and Hayden Mulberry(UGA) d. Neena Feldman and Kiley Rabjohns(NU) 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
1. Dasha Vidmanova(UGA) d. Mika Dagan Fruchtman(NU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Anastasiia Lopata(UGA) d. Erica Jessel(NU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Britany Lau(NU) d. Mell Reasco(UGA) 6-4, 4-4, unf.
4. Aysegul Mert(UGA) v Kiley Rabjohns(NU) 6-2, 5-3, unf.
5. Sydney Pratt(NU) v Guillermina Grant(UGA) 6-3, 3-4
6. Sofia Rojas(UGA) d. Autumn Rabjohns(NU) 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 1, 6, 2
Michigan plays Oklahoma in Champaign and Virginia plays North Carolina in Evanston, both at noon central time.
The Texas - Texas A&M and Georgia - Auburn quarterfinals will follow around 3: 30 pm central.
The consolation match times and locations, as well as the live scoring and live streaming options can be found at the ITA tournament page.
The highly anticipated men's match tonight between No. 1 TCU and No. 3 Texas was short on drama, with the Longhorns dominating the reigning NCAA champions 4-0.
An extremely close doubles point, with TCU failing to convert their early leads and late match points, went to Texas and they rolled through the Horned Frogs in singles, with the exception of line 2, where Pedro Vives picked up the sole point for TCU. The match was played indoors, with only five courts, but the late-starting contest at No. 6 singles had no bearing on the result.
Doubles:
1. Pedro Vives and Lui Maxted(TCU) d. Timo Legout and Lucas Brown(TEX) 7-5
2. Sebastian Gorzny and Pierre-Yves Bailly(TEX) d. Jack Pinnington Jones and Cooper Woestendick(TCU) 7-6(3)
3. Jonah Braswell and Oliver Ojakaar(TEX) d. Duncan Chan and Albert Pedrico 7-6(3)
order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
1. Timo Legout(TEX) d. Jack Pinnington Jones(TCU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Pedro Vives(TCU) d. Sebastian Gorzny(TEX) 6-4, 6-3
3. Pierre-Yves Bailly(TEX) d. Lui Maxted(TCU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Jonah Braswell(TEX) d. Cooper Woestendick(TCU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Oliver Ojakaar(TEX) v Duncan Chan(TCU) 5-7, 6-2, 2-1, unf.
6. Lucas Brown(TEX) v Albert Pedrico(TCU) 5-0, unf.
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 4
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