North Carolina Women Defend National Indoor Title in 4-3 Thriller; Nakashima Wins Quimper Challenger; Nine Americans in Action Monday at Australian Open; Baylor Completes ITA Men's Team Indoor Field

The ITA Women's Division I National Team Indoor Championships were scheduled to finish on Sunday, but due to three consolation matches going four hours each, it was well after midnight when the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels completed their comeback to defeat Texas 4-3 and defend their title.

After Texas won a quick doubles point and four first sets in singles, the third-seeded Longhorns looked to be poised to dethrone the champions, but North Carolina began to work its way back into the match, getting wins from Sara Daavettila and Alexa Graham at the top two courts, while Kylie Collins had put the second point on the board for Texas at line 5. 

At line 3, Anna Turati came from behind in the second set to give Texas another straight set win and a 3-2 lead, but Elizabeth Scotty got a huge split in a tiebreaker against Texas freshman Charlotte Chavatipon to send that to a third set. At line 6, North Carolina freshman Fiona Crawley had already earned a split in her match with Fernanda Labrana, but trailed 3-1 and 4-2, before she took her game up a level, winning the last four games to bring the score to 3-3. Scotty and Chavatipon were on serve in the third set, 2-3 with Chavatipon serving, but she didn't win another game, and Scotty delivered the Tar Heels a fifth ITA National Team Indoor title and their third in the last four years.

ITA Women’s Division I Team Indoor Final

February 7, 2021

Greenwood Tennis Center

Stillwater Oklahoma

North Carolina [1] 4, vs Texas[3] 3

Singles

1. Sara Daavettila (UNC) d. Peyton Stearns (UT) 6-3, 6-4

2. Alexa Graham (UNC) d. Lulu Sun (UT) 6-3 6-2

3. Anna Turati (UT) d. Cameron Morra (UNC) 6-3, 7-5

4. Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) d. Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2

5. Kylie Collins (UT) d. Makenna Jones (UNC) 7-5, 6-3

6. Fiona Crawley (UNC) d. Fernanda Labrana (UT) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

Doubles 

1. Lulu Sun and Kylie Collins (UT) d. Sara Daavettila and Alexa Graham (UNC) 6-2

2. Fernanda Labrana and Anna Turati (UT) vs. Cameron Morra and Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) 4-2 UNF

3. Charlotte Chavatipon and Peyton Stearns (UT) d. Allie Sanford and Reilly Tran 6-2

Order of finish: 

Singles 2,5,1,3,6,4; Doubles 1,2

Quimper Challenger champion Nakashima 
courtesy photo

Brandon Nakashima won his second ATP Challenger today in Quimper France, defeating unseeded Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain 6-3, 6-4 in the Challenger 80 final. The 19-year-old from San Diego, who spent one semester at the University of Virginia in 2019, had come from behind in his previous three matches, but he was ahead throughout today's final. He got the only break of the second set to take a 4-3 lead, but Zapata Miralles held for 5-4 to force Nakashima to serve it out. Nakashima, who had not faced a break point in the set, went down 0-40, then saved two more break points before finally converting his second match point. 

Since his first Challenger in Orlando last November, Nakashima has gone 14-3, and he will move to an ATP career-high of 135 when the new rankings are released Monday. For more on Nakashima's title and the American teens he's joined on a "youngest list", see this article from the ATP website.

The Australian Open is underway in Melbourne with nine Americans in action Monday. Below are the results so far for those US players, plus the matchups for the 17 Americans playing on Tuesday (Monday night in the US). 

Australian Open results for Americans in Monday’s first round:

Venus Williams d. Kirsten Flipkens(BEL) 7-5, 6-2

Serena Williams[10] d. Laura Siegemund(GER) 6-1, 6-1

Bernarda Pera d. Angelique Kerber[23](GER) 6-0, 6-4

Anastasia Potapova(RUS) d. Alison Riske[24] 6-2, 6-1

Alexander Zverev[6](GER) d. Marcos Giron 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-2 

Frances Tiafoe d. Stefano Travaglia(ITA) 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2

Reilly Opelka d. Yen-Hsun Lu(TPE) 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3

Taylor Fritz[27] d. Albert Ramos-Vinolas(ESP) 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6)

Maxime Cressy[Q] d. Taro Daniel[LL](JPN) 7-6(1), 7-6(3), 6-4

Tuesday's Australian Open first round schedule for Americans:

Sofia Kenin[4] v Maddison Inglis[WC](AUS)

Jessica Pegula v Victoria Azarenka[12](BLR)

Lauren Davis v Belinda Bencic[11](SUI)

Coco Gauff v Jil Teichmann(SUI)

Shelby Rogers v Francesca Jones[Q](GBR)

Madison Brengle v Arina Rodionova[WC](AUS)

Sloane Stephens v Yulia Putinseva[26](KAZ)

Ann Li v Shuai Zhang[31](CHN)

Danielle Collins v Ana Bogdan(ROU)

Christina McHale v Nadia Podoroska(ARG)

Whitney Osuigwe[Q] v Lin Zhu(CHN)

Jennifer Brady[22] v Aliona Bolsova(ESP)

Tennys Sandgren v Alex De Minaur[21](AUS)

Mackenzie McDonald v Marco Cecchinato(ITA)

Tommy Paul v Nikoloz Basilashvili(GEO)

Michael Mmoh[Q] v Viktor Troicki[Q](SRB)

Sam Querrey v Lorenzo Sonego[31](ITA)

At the Grampians Trophy WTA 500 tournament Sunday, Ann Li defeated Jennifer Brady 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 10-6 to reach the final, which was not played due to the start of the Australian Open Monday. Anett Kontaveit of Estonia defeated Maria Sakkari of of Greece 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 to join Li in the unplayed final. Li should move to around 70 in the WTA rankings.

The eighth team to reach the ITA Men's Division I Team Indoor Championships, which begins Friday at the University of Illinois, was decided today, with Baylor defeating Texas A&M 4-1. The match was played at SMU in Dallas, a neutral site, after the Kickoff Weekend final between the two teams at the University of Michigan site was canceled due to a Covid outbreak in the athletic department.