'Canes Advance in Main Draw Action at ITA Championships
Oct. 7, 2010
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – University of Miami senior Bianca Eichkorn advanced in both singles and doubles play of the main draw bracket at the 2010 ITA/Riviera All-American Championships Thursday at the Riviera Tennis Club. Eichkorn cruised to an opening round win in singles play after teaming with junior Anna Bartenstein to win a tight doubles match earlier in the day.
Ranked 14th nationally by the ITA in singles, Eichkorn opened play in the bracket with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over NC State’s Sanaa Bhambri. Bhambri entered the main draw portion of the tournament after a successful run in the event’s qualifying round.
“Bianca played her style and it showed today as the match wore on,” associate head coach Jeff Thomsen said. “Her mental toughness proved to be the difference in end.”
Hours earlier, Eichkorn paired up with Bartenstein to win a highly-contested first round match of the doubles main draw with a 9-8 victory over Virginia’s 12th-ranked tandem of Lindsey Hardenbergh and Erin Vierra.
“I’m pleased with the way Bianca and Anna battled this morning,” Thomsen said. “It wasn’t easy, but they fought through and prevailed against a solid Virginia team.”
The win for Eichkorn and Bartenstein – ranked 16th by the ITA in doubles play – was the team’s second over a Top 15 team this year after the duo beat Michigan’s fourth-ranked tandem of Rika Tatsuno and Whitney Taney two weeks ago at the Miami Fall Invitational in Coral Gables.
Second round play in both singles and doubles will resume Friday. Eichkorn is slated to go up against the nation’s top-ranked player in Jana Juricova of Cal, who defeated Utah’s Anastasia Putlina on Thursday to advance.
Eichkorn and Bartenstein will face Texas A&M’s 45th-ranked team of Morgan Frank and Nazari Urbina in second-round doubles action at 12 p.m. EST on Friday.
For updates on Miami’s progress at the ITA Championships, continue to visit www.HurricaneSports.com throughout the remainder of the weekend. Complete brackets and schedules are available at www.itatennis.com.
