Action-Packed Day Opens The 2023 WAC Women's Tennis Tournament
ARLINGTON, Texas – The Western Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Tournament kicked off on a chilly and windy Thursday at the Arlington Tennis Center with four first-round matches.
No. 2 Tarleton State 4 – No. 7 Seattle U 1
The No. 2 Tarleton Texans overcame an early deficit to punch their ticket to the semifinals with a 4-1 win over the No. 7 Seattle U Redhawks.
Seattle U claimed the doubles point after battling back in the start of the match. Tarleton’s Emma Persson and Clara Sobius picked up a 6-3 win on the third court, then Seattle U came back to take the next two matches and the 1-0 lead. Liliya Dimova and Elena Kraleva earned a 6-1 win at No. 1, then Mireia Fehr and Lola Tavcar teamed up for a 6-3 win at No. 2 to secure the early advantage for the Redhawks.
Tarleton responded well on the singles courts, winning the first set on all six courts to create momentum. Ximena Morales rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win in the No. 4 flight to get the Texans on the board. Tarleton’s Martha Makantasi won 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2, then Celia Vaudiau picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win on the sixth court to put the Texans in control up 3-1. Elsa Boisson clinched the match victory for Tarleton with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4
After dropping the first set 2-6 to Tarleton’s Emma Persson, Seattle U’s Elena Kraleva came back to win the second 6-4, but their competitive match went unfinished after Boisson’s clinch.
No. 4 Grand Canyon 4 – No. 5 Abilene Christian 0
The fourth-seeded Grand Canyon (GCU) Lopes took advantage of the #5 Abilene Christian (ACU) Wildcats being shorthanded to advance to the semifinals with a 4-0 win.
GCU won by default on the third doubles court, then its No. 2 duo of Anali Kocevar and Madeline Lamoreaux won 6-2 to secure the doubles point. The Lopes increased their lead to 2-0 after picking up a win on court six by default.
Grand Canyon clinched the victory with a pair of straight set wins at the top of the lineup. Santa Strombacha dominated her No. 2 match to earn a 6-0, 6-0 win. Natasha Puehse brought the match to a close with a 6-4, 6-2 win in the No. 1 flight.
No. 6 New Mexico State 4 – No. 3 UTRGV 3
The six-seed New Mexico State Aggies earned the only upset of the opening round, taking a well-earned 4-3 victory over the No. 3 UTRGV Vaqueros.
The Vaqueros captured the early 1-0 lead with wins on the third and first doubles courts. Yaiza Vazquez and Stefanie Wilske dominated their match at No. 3, winning 6-0. Lea Karren and Barbara Martinez secured the doubles point with a 6-2 win in the top flight. UTRGV extended its lead to 2-0 after a 6-2, 6-3 singles win by Marjorie Souza at No. 3.
New Mexico State came rallying back to take a 3-2 lead with three singles wins in a row. Miranda Bishard earned a good 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 4, Bella Nguyen took the No. 6 match 6-3, 7-5, and Lisa Zhu won 6-1, 7-5 at No. 2.
UTRGV tied the tight match at 3-3 with a 6-2, 6-4 win on the fifth court by Vazquez. All eyes turned to the No. 1 singles match, which drew a good crowd as NM State’s Anna Pinaieva and UTRGV’s Lea Karren put on a show.
Pinaieva clinched the comeback victory for the Aggies with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win in a competitive match.
No. 1 UT Arlington 4 – No. 8 Sam Houston State 2
The top-seeded UT Arlington Mavericks kept their hopes for a tournament championship alive with a gritty 4-2 win over the No. 8 Sam Houston State (SHSU) Bearkats.
Sam Houston captured the early 1-0 lead with wins on the first and second doubles courts. The Bearkat duo of Aaliyah Hohmann and Anastasia Khokhlova picked up the first win, 6-3, in the No. 2 flight. Then, UT Arlington got one back with a 7-5 win by Bruna Casasampere and Francisca Vergara on court three. Paula Cerda and Sahithi Vutukuru battled in a tough No. 1 match to secure the doubles point for the Bearkats, winning 7-6 (7:5).
The Mavericks came back to take a 2-1 lead after a 6-0, 6-4 win in the No. 3 singles flight by Sarina Reinertsen and a 6-4, 6-1 win on the sixth court by Vergara. Sam Houston’s Paula Cerda tied the match at 2-2 with a good 6-4, 6-4 win in the No. 1 flight.
UT Arlington’s Tara Gorinsek fought for a 7-6, 6-3 win in the No. 2 match to put the Mavericks back in control. Casasampere earned her second win of the day to clinch the victory for UT Arlington, taking the No. 4 match after a solid three-set battle, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2.
Friday’s Semifinal Schedule
No. 4 Grand Canyon vs. No. 1 UT Arlington, 9 a.m.
No. 2 Tarleton vs. No. 6 New Mexico State, 9 a.m.