Florida Gators
ITA All-Am. Championships
W-Tennis Enjoys Perfect Friday at Riviera All-American
Saturday, October 9, 2004 | Women's Tennis
The smallest athlete at the University of Florida is making the biggest noise at the Riviera/ITA All-American Women's Tennis Championships. Senior Zerene Reyes, who stands all of 4-foot-10, has advanced into the semifinals of the national tournament after winning her fifth consecutive match over a three-day span that has lasted at least three hours.
Reyes defeated TCU's Story Tweedie-Yates 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the quarterfinal round after upsetting Washington's 11th-ranked Dea Sumantri 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 earlier in the day. Both matches took almost three hours and 30 minutes.
"I'm almost speechless trying to describe what Zerene is doing on the court over these last few days," said UF associate head coach Dave Balogh of Reyes, who is the smallest of all 459 student-athletes on Gator rosters this year. "I've never seen anyone with a drive so strong and so determined to win. Her fight on the court has been amazing. She has won over everyone at this tournament; everyone is talking about and cheering on 'the tiny girl from Florida who has played 23 hours of tennis in three days.' The stands were filled with fans all rooting for her."
The semifinal appearance is Reyes' best-ever showing in a national individual event. She reached the round of 16 at the Riviera All-American in 2003 and 2004 and at the National Indoor Championships in 2004.
She next faces top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Cristelle Grier of Northwestern Saturday in the semifinals at the Riviera Tennis Club.
Reyes wasn't the only Gator posting impressive strokes on the court Friday. The Gator freshmen team of Whitney Benik and Lolita Frangulyan, the lone unranked doubles pair in the quarterfinal round, advanced to the semifinals with a gutsy 9-8 (4) comeback victory over UCLA's 17th-ranked Daniela Bercek and Riza Zalameda. The Gator duo, which was playing its ninth match in seven days, trailed 7-3 before mounting their thrilling comeback.
"It was unbelievable play-calling down the stretch," Balogh explained. "We mixed it up so much at the end that (UCLA) didn't know what we were going to do next. These freshmen are playing great doubles and showing a lot of poise and class out there."
Benik and Franguylan's next opponent is a familiar one, as they face UF's veteran doubles tandem of Reyes and junior Jennifer Magley, who defeated Texas' 19th-ranked pair of Katie Ruckert and Kendra Strohm 8-5 late Friday.
This is the second straight year Magley & Reyes have reached the quarterfinals at the Riviera/ITA All-American. Their best showing at a national event was their semifinal appearance at the 2003 NCAA Doubles Championships.
Magley, also in singles action, rebounded from Thursday's first round setback in the main draw with Friday's 6-0, 6-0 total domination of Northwestern's Alexis Prousis who is ranked 89th in the country. The 'double bagel' was the second of Magley's career, also having shutout Arkansas' Melissa Cornett during her freshman year.
"To be able to defeat anyone 6-0, 6-0 is special, but for Jennifer to do it against an opponent like Alexis in a tournament of this magnitude is phenomenal," Balogh said. "She's taken her game to another level during this event; it's been exciting to watch."
Magley then played Harvard's Courtney Bergman, ranked 27th, winning the first set 6-2 before Bergman retired from the match, as Magley advanced to the semifinals of the consolation draw.
Also enjoying success Friday was UF's doubles team of Boglarka Berecz and Nina Suvak, who defeated Wake Forest's Karin Coetzee and Ashlee Davis 8-5 in the quarterfinals of the consolation draw.
The last time a Gator team reached the doubles semifinals at the Riviera All-American was in 2002, when Alexis Gordon and Julia Scaringe reach this round before falling to Oklahoma State's Linda Faltykova and Katia Kolodynska, 9-7.
At the 2001 Riviera All-American, former Gator standout Jessica Lehnhoff became just the third play in history to sweep the singles and doubles titles, pairing with Lindsay Dawaf on the doubles court. Former UF star Jill Craybas became the first Gator ever to win the Riviera All-American singles, capturing the crown in 1995.
The Riviera/ITA All-American is the first of three national tournaments held during the collegiate tennis season. The second tournament is the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships Nov. 4-7 at the University of Michigan, followed by the season-ending NCAA Championships in May.
Riviera/ITA All-American Women's Tennis Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Friday, October 08, 2004
UF Results Only
Singles Main Draw Second Round (field of 16)
Zerene Reyes (47), UF def. Dea Sumantri (11), Washington 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Singles Main Draw Quarterfinal Round (field of 8)
Zerene Reyes (47), UF def. Story Tweedie-Yates (59), TCU 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4
Singles Consolation First Round (field of 16)
Jennifer Magley (12), UF def. Alexis Prousis (89), Northwestern 6-0, 6-0
Singles Consolation Second Round (field of 8)
Jennifer Magley (12), UF def. Courtney Bergman (27), Harvard 6-2, ret.
Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinal Round (field of 8)
Whitney Benik/Lolita Frangulyan, UF def. Daniela Bercek/Riza Zalameda (17), UCLA 9-8 (4)
Jennifer Magley/Zerene Reyes (12), UF def. Katie Ruckert/Kendra Strohm (19), Texas 8-5
Doubles Consolation Quarterfinal Round (field of 8)
Boglarka Berecz/Nina Suvak (36), UF def. Karin Coetzee/Ashlee Davis (48), Wake Forest 8-5
END OF REPORT
