Gators Sweep ITA Regional Championships
Monday, October 22, 2018 | Women's Tennis
Jarlskog wins singles title while Kessler/Emma battle to win doubles crown in Atlanta
ATLANTA – The University of Florida women's tennis team swept the singles and doubles event titles at the ITA Southeastern Regional Tournament Monday afternoon at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex on the campus of Georgia Tech, securing two singles and one doubles entry into the 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in November.
Sophomore Ida Jarlskog claimed the Main Draw Singles Championship while McCartney Kessler and Victoria Emma earned the Main Draw Doubles Championship title. Jarlskog finished the Tournament with a 6-0 record while Kessler/Emma played to a 5-0 mark.
After the field, which included student-athletes from 14 programs across the region, was eventually pared down to just two singles players and two doubles tandems, only Gators remained heading into Monday's final day.
The day started with the Main Draw Singles Final which featured a duel between the two UF sophomores, Jarlskog and Kessler. The teammates battled back and forth for three sets as Jarlskog claimed set one, 6-2 and Emma earned a 6-2 win in the second stanza. In the deciding set it was the Georgia Tech transfer, Jarlskog, who fought to a 6-4 win.
As a finalist, even with the loss, Kessler earned a bid to the National Fall Championships. The Georgia native finished 5-1 in her return to the Peach State.
After a short break, Jarlskog and Kessler both joined their respective counterparts for the Main Draw Doubles Final. Jarlskog and junior Tsveta Dimitrova matched up with Kessler and Emma in what was a highly-contested bout to conclude the event. Kessler/Emma started off strong, claiming the first set by a tally of 6-4. Facing elimination Jarlskog/Dimitrova fought till the end, forcing an extended tie break, but ultimately Kessler/Emma were the victors as they posted a 7-6 (10-8) win in set two.
The 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships will be held Nov. 7-11 at the Sunrise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.
UF continues its fall campaign, Friday, Nov. 2 when it travels to Lakewood Ranch, Fla. For the Dick Vitale Classic.
Quotes from the Court (Head Coach Roland Thornqvist)
On team's overall performance
"I am incredibly proud of the way we competed, not only today, but throughout this entire tournament. We showed tremendous fight from the first match to the last. As a team we continue to improve. I think when we played our first tournament at Miami a month ago we looked a little rusty. But fast forwarding to today, we just look more confident and look like a different team. Our team collectively is much stronger and that's really a testament to the work they continue to do with Justin (McClelland) in the weight room. The finals were a fitting way to cap off what was a great tournament for us. Today's matches were super physical, and on both sides we really just refused to lose. As matches sometimes do, today came down to a matter of a few points."
On doubles title match
"We played at an extremely high-level for the first set and a half in doubles. Towards the end, fatigue factored in and it just came down to which side was going to make the easy mistakes and which side wasn't. I think learning how to win in adverse situations like these will help us tremendously going forward."
On singles title match
"Both Ida and McCartney played with great pace and found the corners on a consistent basis. They played well offensively and defensively."
Results Monday, Oct. 22
Main Draw Doubles
Final
Kessler/Emma def. Jarlskog/Dimitrova - 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
Main Draw Singles
Final
Ida Jarlskog def. McCartney Kessler – 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Final Results
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Sophomore Ida Jarlskog claimed the Main Draw Singles Championship while McCartney Kessler and Victoria Emma earned the Main Draw Doubles Championship title. Jarlskog finished the Tournament with a 6-0 record while Kessler/Emma played to a 5-0 mark.
After the field, which included student-athletes from 14 programs across the region, was eventually pared down to just two singles players and two doubles tandems, only Gators remained heading into Monday's final day.
The day started with the Main Draw Singles Final which featured a duel between the two UF sophomores, Jarlskog and Kessler. The teammates battled back and forth for three sets as Jarlskog claimed set one, 6-2 and Emma earned a 6-2 win in the second stanza. In the deciding set it was the Georgia Tech transfer, Jarlskog, who fought to a 6-4 win.
As a finalist, even with the loss, Kessler earned a bid to the National Fall Championships. The Georgia native finished 5-1 in her return to the Peach State.
After a short break, Jarlskog and Kessler both joined their respective counterparts for the Main Draw Doubles Final. Jarlskog and junior Tsveta Dimitrova matched up with Kessler and Emma in what was a highly-contested bout to conclude the event. Kessler/Emma started off strong, claiming the first set by a tally of 6-4. Facing elimination Jarlskog/Dimitrova fought till the end, forcing an extended tie break, but ultimately Kessler/Emma were the victors as they posted a 7-6 (10-8) win in set two.
The 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships will be held Nov. 7-11 at the Sunrise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.
UF continues its fall campaign, Friday, Nov. 2 when it travels to Lakewood Ranch, Fla. For the Dick Vitale Classic.
Quotes from the Court (Head Coach Roland Thornqvist)
On team's overall performance
"I am incredibly proud of the way we competed, not only today, but throughout this entire tournament. We showed tremendous fight from the first match to the last. As a team we continue to improve. I think when we played our first tournament at Miami a month ago we looked a little rusty. But fast forwarding to today, we just look more confident and look like a different team. Our team collectively is much stronger and that's really a testament to the work they continue to do with Justin (McClelland) in the weight room. The finals were a fitting way to cap off what was a great tournament for us. Today's matches were super physical, and on both sides we really just refused to lose. As matches sometimes do, today came down to a matter of a few points."
On doubles title match
"We played at an extremely high-level for the first set and a half in doubles. Towards the end, fatigue factored in and it just came down to which side was going to make the easy mistakes and which side wasn't. I think learning how to win in adverse situations like these will help us tremendously going forward."
On singles title match
"Both Ida and McCartney played with great pace and found the corners on a consistent basis. They played well offensively and defensively."
Results Monday, Oct. 22
Main Draw Doubles
Final
Kessler/Emma def. Jarlskog/Dimitrova - 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
Main Draw Singles
Final
Ida Jarlskog def. McCartney Kessler – 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Final Results
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
NCAA: Roland Thornqvist Press Conference 5-5-24
Sunday, May 05
NCAA: Coach Thornqvist & Rachel Gailis 5-4-24
Saturday, May 04
Roland Thornqvist Postmatch NCAA Second Round 5-6-23
Saturday, May 06
Roland Thornqvist Postmatch NCAA First Round 5-5-23
Friday, May 05
