Florida Gators
Riviera/ITA All-American
W-Tennis Has Solid First Day of Qualifying for Riviera All-American Championships
Tuesday, October 3, 2006 | Women's Tennis
University of Florida junior Whitney Benik won her first round qualifying singles match at the Riviera/ITA All-American Tennis Championships, as did a pair of Gator doubles teams, Tuesday afternoon at the Riviera Tennis Club.
Benik, ranked No. 81 in the country, rallied and upset Wake Forest's 32nd-ranked Alex Hirsch, 6-3, 7-5. Benik found herself trailing 3-1 in the first set before winning the final five games to take the opening frame. She then trailed 4-1 and 5-3 in the second set, but again dug deep to take the straight-set victory.
"Whitney didn't play as well as she would have like to, but she competed extremely well," UF associate head coach Dave Balogh said. "Her competitiveness was the difference today."
Late Tuesday evening, Benik lost to Miami's Laura Vallverdu, 6-3, 6-3, in the second round.
Earlier on Tuesday, Benik paired with senior Nina Suvak and the duo defeated Purdue's Mallory Voelker and Neela Vaez, 8-4, in the first round of the 32-team qualifying event. Benik and Suvak face Stanford's Celia Durkin and Theresa Logar in the second round Wednesday.
The Gator tandem of Lolita Frangulyan and Diana Srebrovic posted an 8-5 victory over UCLA's Viktoria Lind and Stephanie Wetmore in their first round contest. The Florida pair face Duke's Daniela Bercek and Elizabeth Plotkin on Wednesday.
All four third-round-winning teams earn a spot in the 16-team main draw.
"Both doubles teams came out and played good, solid tennis today," Balogh said. "They showed a lot of energy and aggressiveness. There is a lot of doubles left to be played, but it was a good start to what hopefully will be a long week of tennis."
Riviera/ITA All-American Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
UF results only
Singles
Qualifying, First Round (Round of 64)
Whitney Benik (81), UF def. Alex Hirsch (32), Wake Forest 6-3, 7-5
Qualifying, Second Round (Round of 32)
Laura Vallverdu, Miami def. Whitney Benik (81), UF 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
Qualifying, First Round (Round of 64)
Whitney Benik/Nina Suvak (33), UF def. Mallory Voelker/Neela Vaez, Purdue 8-4
Lolita Frangulyan/Diana Srebrovic (38), UF def. Viktoria Lind/Stephanie Wetmore, UCLA 8-5
END OF REPORT
