W. Tennis Opens Play at Bedford Cup
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team began competition at the 10-team Bedford Cup Friday on its home court at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The Hurricanes finished the day, which featured three rain delays during singles play that totaled one hour and 36 minutes, with a 7-3 mark, including a 6-3 ledger in singles action.
“We had a solid day of tennis to start the tournament,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We’re happy to have these teams in Miami [and to be] hosting this event. It’s always nice to play at your facility in front of your home fans.
The Hurricanes opened the day with a 6-3 victory by seniors Ana Madcur and Daniella Roldan over Basak Akbas and Mariia Solnishshkyna in the Doubles No. 1 main draw.
Meanwhile, junior Yuna Ito and sophomore Ulyana Shirokova earned a Doubles No. 2 main draw quarterfinal berth without taking the court, receiving a bye as the flight’s top seed.
Roldan quickly returned to the court for singles play and after taking one game in the opening set, forced a second-set tiebreaker. However, the Boca Raton, Fla., native came up short and dropped a 1-6, 6-7 (3-7) decision to third-seeded Komola Umarova of FIU.
Seventh-seeded Shirokova rebounded from a first-set loss to force a split and then rallied from a 9-7 deficit in the 10-point tiebreaker to take the victory. After playing 34 points to determine the victor, Shirokova walked away with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (18-16) triumph.
Madcur started her singles play on the weekend by narrowly dropping a three-set match to Bethune-Cookman’s Michelle Ncube, 6-3, 5-7, 0-1 (7-10).
Freshman Lucia Marzal Martinez, seeded second, got Miami back to its winning ways with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Stetson’s Danel Ashirova.
While the four aforementioned Hurricanes competed in the Singles No. 1 main draw, Ito earned a bye through the opening round of the Singles No. 2 main draw as the second seed in the bracket.
Shirokova logged her second impressive comeback victory over the day, winning a pair of tiebreakers against FIU’s Sandra Bozinovic after taking just one game in the opening set. The Ufa, Russia, native rallied from a 2-5 second-set tiebreaker and a 1-5 deficit in the 10-point tiebreaker to record a 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-6) decision and earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
“Shirokova definitely fought back from a few bad situations that she probably should have never been in to begin with,” Yaroshuk-Tews said of the come-from-behind wins. “Although I was happy to see her figure it out in the end.”
After her defeat in the morning, Roldan returned to the court in dominant fashion, notching a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Bethune-Cookman’s Phatismo Ruele.
Marzal Martinez joined Shirokova in the quarterfinals, as did each of the other six seeded players, by tallying a 6-4, 6-2 win in her matchup with Florida Atlantic’s Kristen Thoms.
Like Roldan, Madcur bounced back with a straight-set decision, posting a 6-3, 7-5 victory over UCF’s Natalia Serrano.
The last player in the tournament to begin action on the day, Ito came up just short in a decisive tiebreaker against FGCU’s Sofia Perez, dropping the match, 2-6, 7-5, 0-1 (8-10).
Saturday, in the Doubles No. 1 main draw quarterfinals, Madcur and Roldan meet Constanza Gorches and Ana Paula Mililo of North Florida. In the Doubles No. 2 main draw quarterfinals, Ito and Shirokova open their ledger against Bethune-Cookman’s Valentina Mariotto and Florencia Rossi. Both matches are set to begin at 8 a.m. when competition starts.
In singles play, Shirokova faces the lone ranked player in the draw and top seed, No. 87 Rebeka Stolmar of UCF, while Miami’s other remaining main draw competitor, Marzal Martinez, meets sixth-seeded Maja Ornberg of FGCU.
In Singles No. 1 consolation action, Roldan is set to square off with Natalia Boltinskaya of Florida Atlantic and Madcur will take on FIU’s Sandra Bozinovic. Ito is scheduled to play North Florida’s Valentina Mariotto in a Singles No. 2 consolation playoff. Saturday’s ingles match times are still to be determined.
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 No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Round of 16
Ana Madcur/Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Basak Akbas/Mariia Solnishshkyna (FIU), 6-3
Doubles No. 2 Flight – Main Draw Round of 16
[1] Yuna Ito/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) – BYE
Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Round of 32
[7] Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU), 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (18-16
[3] Komola Umarova (FIU) def. Daniella Roldan (UM), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
Michelle Ncube (BCU) def. Ana Madcur (UM), 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-7)
[2] Lucia Marzal Martinez (UM) def. Danel Ashirova (STET), 6-1, 6-3
Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Round of 16
[7] Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Sandra Bozinovic (FIU), 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-6)
[2] Lucia Marzal Martinez (UM) def. Kristen Thoms (FAU), 6-4, 6-2
Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw First Round
Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Phatismo Ruele (BCU), 6-1, 6-0
Ana Madcur (UM) def. Natalia Serrano (UCF), 6-3, 7-5
Singles No. 2 Flight – Round of 16
[2] Yuna Ito (UM) – BYE
Singles No. 2 Flight – Quarterfinals
Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. [2] Yuna Ito (UM), 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Doubles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
Ana Madcur/Daniella Roldan (UM) vs. Constanza Gorches/Ana Paula Melilo (UNF)
Doubles No. 2 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
[1] Yuna Ito/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) vs. Valentina Mariotto/Florencia Rossi (BCU)
Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
[7] Ulyana Shirokova (UM) vs. No. 87 [1] Rebeka Stolmar (UCF)
[2] Lucia Marzal Martinez (UM) vs. [6] Maja Ornberg (FGCU)
Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw Second Round
Daniella Roldan (UM) vs. Natalia Boltinskaya (FAU)
Ana Madcur (UM) vs. Sandra Bozinovic (FIU)
Singles No. 2 Flight – Consolation Draw Playoff
Yuna Ito (UM) vs. Valentina Mariotto (UNF)
