Lohan Advances to Riviera Back Draw Semifinals
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – After dropping her first round match Thursday in the main draw of the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships, Sinead Lohan of the University of Miami women’s tennis team got back on the winning track Friday.
The junior, ranked fifth in the country, earned two victories in the back draw of the elite tournament, one over a top-15 opponent and the other against a top-50 player at the Riviera Tennis Club. The wins were the 39th and 40th of her career versus ranked players, compared to just 14 defeats.
“Sinead has patiently dug her heels in and fought hard, like the true competitor she is, to find her true natural game,” Miami associate head coach Laura Vallverdu said. “It gets her through tough opponents and it will help her win titles. She has to continue to blindly nurture it and grow emotionally at certain moments of the match.”
In the first round of the back draw, in which she is seeded second, Lohan picked up a comeback win against No. 15 Saska Gavrilovska of Texas A&M. Following a narrow first-set loss, Lohan won 12 of 15 games the rest of the way to record a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 triumph.
Lohan took on ACC counterpart No. 42 Francesca Fusinato of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals of the back draw in her second match of the day and logged a straight-set win. Lohan defeated Fusinato, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the back draw.
“Sinead is a mental giant, but needs to understand she creates the rhythm of the match,” Vallverdu said. “She is hungry for another win tomorrow.”
Saturday, Lohan will take on No. 17 Arianne Hartono of Ole Miss with a berth in the back draw final on the line. The match will start no earlier than 2 p.m. ET. Lohan topped Hartono, 6-1, 6-3, to help Miami earn a 4-3 victory over Ole Miss the second round of the 2015 NCAA Team Championship.
All Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships information can be found on the ITA event page HERE. Premium live video for main draw matches will be available HERE.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
FRIDAY RESULTS
Back Draw – First Round
No. 5 [2] Sinead Lohan (UM) def. No. 15 Saska Gavrilovska (TAM), 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
Back Draw – Quarterfinals
No. 5 [2] Sinead Lohan (UM) def. No. 42 Francesca Fusinato (VT), 6-3, 6-3
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Back Draw – Semifinals
