Women's Tennis Strong in ITA Regional Opener
Oct. 23, 2009
Results | Updated Miami Results 
| Complete Updated Singles/Doubles Bracket
Atlanta, Ga. – With all six singles players advancing and a doubles pair moving on, the University of Miami women’s tennis team had a prolific opening round on Friday as part of the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The event is taking place at the Bill Moore Tennis Center on the campus of Georgia Tech and runs through Oct. 26.
With rain in the Atlanta area forcing most of the singles play indoors, Saturday’s matches have been given tentative start times with “not before” or “directly after” titled to them. However, the rains didn’t stop the Hurricanes from surging all six singles players through to the Round of 32.
Junior All-American Bianca Eichkorn began her 2009 fall campaign Friday after missing the first two tournaments of the season recovering from an injury. The Tengen, Germany native, currently ranked No. 21 in the ITA preseason poll, opened her 2009-10 season with a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Georgia Tech’s Hillary Davis. Eichkorn is seeded third for this year’s event, and will next face Stetson’s Jennifer Miller in the Round of 32 on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Senior Laura Vallverdu, seeded second overall in the tournament and ranked No. 6 nationally, opened her ITA Regional weekend with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 decision over Georgia State’s Linda Hricistova. Vallverdu, a three-time All-America performer and the 2009 NCAA Singles Runner-up, looks to face Georgia’s Naoka Ueshima in the Round of 32 on Saturday. Her match is not scheduled to start before 9:30 a.m.
Sophomore Anna Bartenstein upped her record for the season to 4-0 via a 6-1, 6-4 win over Rachel Pye of Florida A&M. Bartenstein next faces Christina Ngo of Georgia Tech on Saturday in the day’s opener beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Fellow sophomore Gabriela Mejia continues to impress the UM coaching staff as she kept her record for the year clean at a perfect 4-0, gathering a 6-2, 6-1 win over cross-town rival FIU’s Maria José Vallasciani. Mejia is now 3-0 all-time against FIU opponents, but this was the first time she’s faced Vallasciani. She will meet Florida State’s Amy Sargeant on Saturday not before 9 a.m.
Senior Claudia Wasilewski upped her lifetime Regionals record to 2-1 Friday on the strength of a 6-3, 6-0 straight-set decision over Stetson’s Carolina de los Santos. For Wasilewski, the win ran her record for the year out to 4-1 while she awaits USF’s Melissa Koning not before 9 a.m. on Saturday.
The final singles win of the day came from freshman Danielle Mills who pulled a three-set triumph away from Stetson’s Unnati Purushotham, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4. With the win, Mills evened her record at 2-2 on the campaign, and she will face-off against FSU’s Noemie Scharle on Saturday in a match not to start before 9 a.m.
In doubles action, Miami advanced the No. 3 seeded pair of Mejia and Vallverdu as they collected an 8-1 decision from Stetson’s Natalie Gorham and Jen Miller. They next face Florida State’s team of Scharle and Sucupira on Saturday at 8 a.m. Miami’s only defeat of the day came in the other doubles action where the team of Wasilewski and Bartenstein fell to USF’s Koning and Rehberger, 8-5.
Action at the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships continues tomorrow with the singles Round of 32, as well as the doubles Round of 16 action taking place.
The “A” flight singles and doubles winners, along with the singles finalist, will advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships in November held at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The elite event, slated for Nov. 5-8, is the second collegiate grand slam event of the season. Winners and finalists from the various ITA Regional Championships around the country plus at-large selections will make up the singles field of 32 and the 16-team doubles draw.
For more information and results from the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships, please click here.
For more information on University of Miami Women’s Tennis, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. After browsing to the women’s tennis home page, you will find the latest news, stats and match notes pertaining to the Hurricanes Women’s Tennis program.
Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship (Day One)
Singles (Main Draw)
Round of 64
Anna Bartenstein (Miami) def. Rachel Pye (Florida A&M) … 6-1, 6-4
Danielle Mills (Miami) def. Unnati Purushotham (Stetson) … 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
Claudia Wasilewski (Miami) def. C. de los Santos (Stetson) … 6-3, 6-0
Gabriela Mejia (Miami) def. Maria Vallasciani (FIU) … 6-2, 6-1
No. 21 Bianca Eichkorn (Miami) def. Hillary Davis (Georgia Tech) … 6-2, 6-0
No. 6 Laura Vallverdu (Miami) def. Linda Hricistova (Georgia State) … 6-0, 6-0
Doubles (Main Draw)
Round of 32
Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (Miami) def. Natalie Gorham/Jen Miller (Stetson) … 8-1
Melissa Koning/Irene Rehberger (USF) def. Anna Bartenstein/Claudia Wasilewski (Miami) … 8-5
