@CanesWTennis Cruises in Singles to Begin Season
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team opened the 2017 spring season Friday by winning seven of 11 matches on the first day of the Miami Spring Invite.
The record for the Hurricanes, who are ranked No. 12 in the nation, included a 6-2 ledger in singles competition at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
“Really, what we expected,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said of what she saw on the opening day of the season. “We’ve been striking the ball well and I think we went out there today and we struck the ball well. I think the girls played well. On a few courts, we need to keep the high level of tennis [when we are] just beginning the second set. I think on a few courts we had a little bit of a letdown in the second set, which we can’t have happen, but all in all, I think the girls competed hard and played well. To start off the season against such a tough opponent you kind of see where you are.”
The Hurricanes started the day with a 1-2 showing against Texas Tech in doubles play. Junior Sinead Lohan and sophomore Ana Madcur dropped a 3-6 decision to Felicity Maltby and Gabriela Talaba. Freshman Dominika Paterova and sophomore Clara Tanielian fell to No. 14 Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici, 3-6.
Junior Silvia Fuentes, on her birthday, and redshirt sophomore Yolimar Ogando came from behind to take down Katelyn Jackson and Alex Valenstein, 7-6 (7-3).
“We actually played, I think, pretty solid doubles. We’re really starting to implement things that we’re working on in practice in real situations in matches, which I like,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We just got off to a slow start at number one doubles today and then we kind of got it back together and turned the corner, but tomorrow we need to work on getting off to a little quicker start at one.”
Seven of Miami’s eight singles matches came against players from Kentucky and court one featured a top-15 showdown between sixth-ranked Lohan and No. 12 Aldila Sutjiadi. Lohan rolled to an impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory, her fourth top-20 win of 2016-17.
After Paterova dropped a narrow 4-6, 4-6 decision to Mami Adachi, Ogando earned the eighth ranked win—in just 11 opportunities—of her career, topping No. 74 Akvilé Para?inskaité, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1.
Madcur recorded an impressive comeback victory over Lesedi Jacobs to open her spring singles campaign. After dropping 11 of the first 13 games and trailing, 0-6, 2-5, Madcur won nine of the next 10 games, forcing a third set and then taking a 4-1 lead in it. She would go on to close out the match for a 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph.
“She’s just a lion, and sometimes it takes really pushing her against a wall to get her to push back and we’re working with her on not allowing it to get to that point before you start pushing back,” Yaroshuk-Tews said of Madcur. “. . . To have that fight on day one of the season and to refuse to lose is just kind of what this program is built on, and that’s what I told her and that’s why I would just go to war with that kid. She’s unbelievable. To bring it on day one, I think just says a lot about where she is and it kind of just trickles down to everybody else. It was fun to watch.”
Tanielian was dominant against Milica Novakovic, concluding the match by winning seven consecutive games to earn a 6-2, 6-0 win. No. 70 Perez-Somarriba, playing her first match as a ranked player, cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Morgan Chumney.
In Miami’s lone singles match not against a Wildcat, freshman Sara Culbertson notched a 6-2, 6-4 win against ninth-ranked Vanderbilt’s Payton Robinette, 6-2, 6-4.
The final Miami singles match to conclude was Fuentes’ three-set contest against Emily Fanning, which she dropped, 2-6, 5-7, 4-6.
Play will resume Saturday morning at 9 a.m., with Miami facing Vanderbilt in doubles. Singles action is set to start no earlier than 9:30 a.m., and the Hurricanes will play Texas Tech.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
FRIDAY RESULTS
Doubles Competition
No. 14 Sarah Dvorak/Sabrina Federici (TT) def. Dominika Paterova/Clara Tanielian (UM), 6-3
Felicity Maltby/Gabriela Talaba (TT) def. Sinead Lohan/Ana Madcur (UM), 6-3
Silvia Fuentes/Yolimar Ogando (UM) def. Katelyn Jackson/Alex Valenstein (TT), 7-6 (7-3)
Akvilé Para?inskaité/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. Georgina Sellyn/Astra Sharma (VU), 6-3
Emma Kurtz/Christina Rosca (VU) def. Mami Adachi/Morgan Chumney (UK), 6-4
Lesedi Jacobs/Emily Fanning (UK) def. Sydney Campbell/Emily Smith (VU), 6-4
Singles Competition
No. 6 Sinead Lohan (UM) def. No. 12 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK), 6-1, 6-3
Yolimar Ogando (UM) vs. No. 74 Akvilé Para?inskaité (UK), 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
Mami Adachi (UK) def. Dominika Paterova (UM), 4-4
Ana Madcur (UM) def. Lesedi Jacobs (UK), 0-6, 7-5, 6-3
Emily Fanning (UK) def. Silvia Fuentes (UM), 6-2, 5-7, 4-6
No. 70 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. Morgan Chumney (UK), 6-1, 6-2
Clara Tanielian (UM) def. Milica Novakovic (UK), 6-2, 6-0
Sara Culbertson (UM) def. Payton Robinette (VU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 Astra Sharma (VU) def. No. 26 Gabriela Talaba (TT), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 19 Sydney Campbell (VU) def. No. 81 Felicity Maltby (TT), 7-5, 7-5
No. 28 Christina Rosca (VU) def. Sabrina Federici (TT), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Alex Valenstein (TT) vs. Emma Kurtz (VU), 6-3, 6-3
Fernanda Contreras (VU) def. Sarah Dvorak (TT), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Emily Smith (VU) def. Katelyn Jackson (TT), 6-2, 6-4
Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. Alba Cortina-Pou (TT), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
9 a.m., Doubles: Miami vs. Vanderbilt (Courts 1-4) and Kentucky vs. Texas Tech (5-8)
As Available, Singles: Miami vs. Texas Tech (1-4) and Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt (5-8)
