Florida Gators
ITA Southeast Regional Championships - Day 1 of 4
Women?s Tennis Enjoys Perfect Opening Day at USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships
Friday, October 21, 2011 | Women's Tennis
The Gators went 6-for-6 on the singles court and 4-for-4 in doubles matches en route to a perfect opening day of play at the 2011 USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships held at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Action continues on Saturday at 9 a.m., beginning with quarterfinal round doubles matches. The singles round of 32 main draw matches will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m., followed at 12:30 p.m. by consolation singles action and at 2:30 p.m. with round of 16 main draw singles contests.
Admission to all matches is free.
“I thought we played very, very well today,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I was particularly pleased with our doubles. Our second round doubles matches were considerably better than our early morning matches. We were more comfortable together as a team and made great offensive decisions. Overall, I was very pleased. We need to play a lot of matches and this was a great first day for us.”
Florida's top-seeded and fifth-ranked Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) led the way with an impressive 6-0, 6-4 against Georgia State's Masa Grgan, while Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) downed Grgan's teammate Kir Kemp, 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the round of 32 that gets underway on Saturday.
The Gator sophomore quartet of Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.), Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) and Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) also netted straight-set singles victories, with Cercone downing UCF's Alexis Rodriguez, 6-4, 6-1, Janowicz taking out Georgia Tech's Jasmine Minor, 6-1, 6-1 and Oyen taking care of FAMU's Bethany Holt, 6-1, 6-1
UF junior Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) outlasted Miami's Melissa Bolivar 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in a three-hour marathon to cap the first round action for the Gators.
“The third set went a little better than the other two,” Hitimana said. “I just kept fighting and tried to hang in there. I committed less mistakes and I served a little better. I really tried to be strong and tough.”
The Gators began and finished Friday with victories on the doubles courts, as the team of Hitimana and Janowicz opening with an 8-1 win against FAMU's Kathline Durden and Bethany Holt, before earning an 8-4 victory over FIU's Lisa Johnson and Christine Seredni. Joining Hitimana and Janowicz in the quarterfinal round are teammates Cercone and Oyen, who posted an 8-2 win against Kennesaw State's Alexandra Apostu and Vera Shkundina, before tallying an 8-2 mark versus Jacksonville's Natalia Marques Melibeu and Aline Staudt.
This is the first time the Gators have played host to the ITA Women's Tennis Regional Championships, held at the Ring Tennis Complex.
The four-day singles and doubles individual event serves as a feeder into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, considered the second leg of the collegiate Grand Slam. The Indoor Championships takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, Nov. 3-6.
Daily Schedule of Events
Detailed schedule of play for Saturday is as follows: 9 a.m. Doubles Quarterfinal Round; 10:30 a.m. Main Draw Singles-Round of 32; 12:30 p.m. Consolation Singles-Round of 32; 2:30 p.m. Main Draw Singles-Round of 16
SUNDAY, begins at 9 a.m.: 1 Round of Doubles, followed by 2 rounds of singles
MONDAY, start time TBA: Doubles Finals (Main Draw); Singles Finals (Main & Consolation Draws)
Results will be updated throughout each day's play on www.GatorZone.com/tennis/women, with PDF files of the draws available on that same website within the 'GATORS GAME DAY' box.
2011 USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Women's Tennis Championships
Ring Tennis Complex * Gainesville, Fla.
Hosted by the University of Florida
Complete Results
Friday, Oct. 21
Singles, First Round (round of 64)
Lauren Embree (5), UF d. Masa Grgan, GST, 6-0, 6-4
Alina Jerjomina, UGA d. Naella Wawrinka, SU, 6-4, 6-0
Ecaterina Vasenina (70), USF d. Aline Berkenbrock, UNF, 6-2, 6-4
Paola Garrido, GSU d. Rita Maisak, FIU, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
Alex Cercone (34), UF d. Alexis Rodriguez, UCF, 6-4, 6-1
Lauren Herring, UGA d. Kathline Durden, FAMU, 6-0, 6-0
Lynn Blau (124), GT d. Lisa Johnson, FIU, 6-3, 6-0
Mia Vriens, FSU d. Tereza Lerova, GST, 6-3, 6-1
Jillian O'Neill (21), GT d. Vera Shkundina, KSU, 6-4, 7-5
Loreto Alonso, USF d. Chrissie Seredni, FIU, 6-3, 6-0
Caroline Hitimana (85), UF d. Melissa Bolivar, UM, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1(3)
Carolina De Los Santos, FSU d. Aline Staudt, JU, 7-6, 6-0
Olivia Janowicz (37), UF d. Jasmine Minor, GT, 6-1, 6-1
Whitney Byrd, GST d. Lucie Rey, USF, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
Lilly Kimbell (123), UGA d. Jenna Doerfler, UCF, 6-2, 6-0
Sara Lazarevic, SU d. Morgan Bechtel, FGCU, 6-2, 6-2
Maryna Kozazhenko, GST d. Jen Evans, FGCU, 6-4, 6-4
Sofie Oyen (73), UF d. Bethany Holt, FAMU, 6-1, 6-1
Lorena Aviles, UNF d. Clark Tatje, SU, 6-1, 6-0
Christina Ngo (44), GT d. Karyn Guttormsen, FIU, 6-1, 6-4
Muriel Wacker, GT d. Kate Parker, USF, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Kate Fuller, UGA d. Natalia Melibeu, JU, 6-0, 6-3
Alex Apostu, KSU d. Gen Lorbergs, UCF, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
Anna Bartenstein (25), UM d. Leyla Erkan, FSU, 6-1, 6-1
Fanny Fracassi, USF d. Courtney Griffith, UCF, 6-3, 6-3
Caroline Lilley (69), GT d. Giulietta Boha, FIU, 6-1, 6-0
Danielle Day, UNF d. Tess Lagerkvist, KSU, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Joanna Mather (26), UF d. Kir Kemp, GST, 6-2, 6-1
Sarah McLean, FIU d. Gyanna Mandic, FGCU, 6-3, 6-1
Elizabeth Kilborn, GT d. Brittany Dubins, UM, 6-1, 7-6 (5)
Abigail Tere-Apisah, GST d. Natalie Maffett, GSU, 6-1, 6-1
Chelsey Gullickson (9), UGA d. Alessandra Bonte, USF, 6-4, 6-1
Doubles, First Round (round of 32)
Caroline Lilley/Jillian O'Neill (6), GT d. Masa Grgan/Tereza Larova, GST, 8-3
Lorena Aviles/Aline Berkenbrock, UNF d. Leyla Erkan/Mia Vriens, FSU, 8-5
Olivia Janowicz/Caroline Hitimana, UF d. Kathline Durden/Bethany Holt, FAMU, 8-1
Lisa Johnson/Christine Seredni, FIU d. Alessandra Bonte/Fanny Fracassi, USF, 8-1
Chelsea Gullickson/Lilly Kimbell, UGA d. MayaBlue Stauffer-MacDowell/Naella Wawrinka, SU, 8-0
Whitney Byrd/Kir Kemp, GST d. Jana Hueckinghaus/Tamara Plocher, KSU, 8-5
Loreto Alonso/Ecaterina Vasenina, USF d. Melissa Bolivar/Brittany Dubins, UM, 9-7
Taylor Dubins/Andrea Yacaman, UCF d. Karyn Guttormsen/Sarah McLean, FIU, 8-3
Viet Ha Ngo/Muriel Wacker, GT d. Diana Bukujeva/Jen Miller, SU, 8-3
Ruth Seaborne/Carolina De Los Santos, FSU d. Jenna Doerfler/Courtney Griffith, UCF, 8-5
Natalia Marques Melibeu/Aline Staudt, JU d. Lucie Ray/Kate Parker, USF, 8-6
Alex Cercone/Sofie Oyen, UF d. Alexandra Apostu/Vera Shkundina, KSU, 8-2
Melanie Aquirre/Danielle Day, UNF d. Giulietta Boha/Rita Maisak, FIU, 9-7
Lynn Blau/Elizabeth Kilborn, GT d. Maryna Kozachenko/Abigail Tere-Apisah, GST, 8-6
Genevieve Lorbergs/Alexis Rodriguez, UCF d. Jen Evans/Gyanna Mandic, FGCU, 8-0
Kate Fuller/Lauren Herring (20), UGA d. Paola Garrido/Natalie Maffett, GSU, 8-1
Doubles, Second Round (round of 16)
Caroline Lilley/Jillian O'Neill (6), GT d. Lorena Aviles/Aline Berkenbrock, UNF, 8-1
Olivia Janowicz/Caroline Hitimana, UF d. Lisa Johnson/Christine Seredni, FIU, 8-4
Chelsea Gullickson/Lilly Kimbell, UGA d. Whitney Byrd/Kir Kemp, GST, 8-4
Loreto Alonso/Ecaterina Vasenina, USF d. Taylor Dubins/Andrea Yacaman, UCF, 8-2
Ruth Seaborne/Carolina De Los Santos, FSU d. Viet Ha Ngo/Muriel Wacker, GT, 8-4
Alex Cercone/Sofie Oyen, UF d. Natalia Marques Melibeu/Aline Staudt, JU, 8-2
Lynn Blau/Elizabeth Kilborn, GT d. Melanie Aquirre/Danielle Day, UNF, 8-6
Kate Fuller/Lauren Herring (20), UGA d. Genevieve Lorbergs/Alexis Rodriguez, UCF, 8-1
There is not a consolation doubles draw at this event.
Southeast Region School Codes:
UCF = Central Florida
FAMU = Florida A&M
FGCU = Florida Gulf Coast Univ.
FIU = Florida International Univ.
FSU = Florida State
UF = Florida
GSU = Georgia Southern
GST = Georgia State
GT = Georgia Tech
UGA = Georgia
JU = Jacksonville
KSU = Kennesaw State
UM = Miami
UNF = North Florida
USF = South Florida
SU = Stetson
