Four Hurricanes Reach Tournament Finals
ORLANDO, Fla. – Four members of the University of Miami women’s tennis team advanced to finals of their respective draws on Saturday at the USTA Clay Court Invitational. Half of the Hurricanes who played in the tournament will now be competing for a championship on Sunday morning.
“These ladies have done a good job in figuring things out under tough conditions,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Today was a rough day to play tennis. The windy and cold conditions were not advantageous for our players, yet we hung in there, stayed calm and found a way.”
In the A Draw, No. 1 seed Stephanie Wagner, ranked No. 18, put forth an impressive showing against the No. 5 seed, Tristen Dewar of Clemson. The junior from Amberg, Germany won 6-2, 6-2 over the No. 95 player in the nation to make the final.
No. 71 Lina Lileikite, the No. 2 seed in the A Draw, nearly forced an all Miami finale, but narrowly lost a hard fought match to Clemson’s Joana Eidukonyte. The senior won the first set and nearly took the second, but came up just short, falling 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Wagner will take on Eidukonyte Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in the A Draw final. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
While an all Hurricane final was denied in the A Draw, Miami freshmen Wendy Zhang and Sinead Lohan will play each other in the B Draw championship. Both defeated players from Florida State in Saturday’s semifinals to advance.
Zhang, the No. 3-4 seed, took down the No. 1 seed in the draw, No. 79 Yukako Noi, 6-2, 6-3, to get to the title match. Lohan beat Emily Fanning in three sets, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-4, to ensure the all Miami match in the B Draw finale.
Zhang and Lohan will face one another in the B Draw final Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Miami will also have a C Draw finalist, as No. 1 seed Silvia Fuentes won her semifinal match 6-0, 6-3 over No. 3-4 seed Eveline Lepinay of Stetson. The freshman will play Virginia Tech’s Katherine Butler in the championship match Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Senior Monique Albuquerque, ranked No. 111, and freshman Judith Bohnenkamp both played in consolation matches Saturday. Albuquerque won 6-1, 6-2 over Olga Martinez of USF in the A Consolation Draw, while Bohnenkamp lost 6-3, 6-1 to Clemson’s Keisha Clousing in the B Consolation Draw.
With four Hurricanes set to play Sunday, Yaroshuk-Tews wants to see them continue the way they played in their semifinal matches.
“We are looking for the same composure, as we hope to take three titles back to Miami,” Yaroshuk-Tews said.
For the latest news and notes from Miami women’s tennis, follow @HurricaneTennis on Twitter.
SATURDAY RESULTS
A Draw—Semifinals
No. 18 [1] Stephanie Wagner def. No. 95 [5] Tristen Dewar (Clemson), 6-2, 6-2
Joana Eidukonyte (Clemson) def. No. 71 [2] Lina Lileikite, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
A Consolation Draw
No. 111 [6] Monique Albuquerque def. Olga Martinez (USF), 6-1, 6-2
B Draw—Semifinals
[3-4] Wendy Zhang def. No. 79 [1] Yukako Noi (Florida State), 6-2, 6-3
Sinead Lohan def. [3-4] Emily Fanning (Florida State), 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-4
B Consolation Draw
Keisha Clousing (Clemson) def. Judith Bohnenkamp, 6-3, 6-1
C Draw—Semifinals
[1] Silvia Fuentes def. [3-4] Eveline Lepinay (Stetson), 6-0, 6-3
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
A Draw—Final
No. 18 [1] Stephanie Wagner vs. Joana Eiidukonyte (Clemson) at 9:00 a.m.
B Draw—Final
[3-4] Wendy Zhang vs. Sinead Lohan at 9:00 a.m.
C Draw—Final
[1] Silvia Fuentes vs. Katherine Butler (Virginia Tech) at 9:00 a.m.
