Three Canes Reach Bedford Cup Main Draw Finales

By Andy Fledderjohann
HurricaneSports.com

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team completed day two at the 10-team Bedford Cup Saturday on its home court at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.

Three Hurricanes remain alive in main draw play, as freshman Lucia Marzal Martinez advanced to the championship match in the Singles No. 1 flight and the pair of junior Yuna Ito and sophomore Ulyana Shirokova advanced to the Doubles No. 2 flight final. Overall, Miami went 8-4 on the day, including 6-3 in singles matches.

“We saw some real bright spots today,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Lucia and Ana [Madcur] have been playing better, while Yuna is really trying to implement some new things into an already solid game.”
 
Second-seeded Marzal Martinez moved to the championship match following a pair of straight-set victories Saturday. She first topped FGCU’s sixth-seeded Maja Ornberg, 6-3, 6-0, in the quarterfinals before scoring a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over FIU’s eighth-seeded Maryna Veksler in the semifinals. Marzal Martinez faces No. 87 Rebeka Stolmar of UCF, the top overall seed, in the championship match.
 
Top-seeded Ito and Shirokova posted two wins Saturday, blanking North Florida’s Valentina Mariotto and Florencia Rossi, 6-0, before scoring a 6-2 win over Stetson’s Vicky Geurinckx and Brooke Milner in the semis. The duo plays UCF’s Sara Culbertson and Valentina Martin in the final.
 
Ito also remained alive in a consolation playoff bracket of the Singles No. 2 flight following a 6-1, 6-1 win over Valentina Mariotto of North Florida. She is slated to take on Selin Yaylali of USF Sunday.
 
Ana Madcur also posted a pair of wins Saturday in the consolation draw of the No. 1 Singles flight. She downed Sandra Bozinovic of FIU, 6-2, 6-1, before topping Ana Paula Mililo of North Florida, 6-2, 6-3. Madcur matches up with Kristen Thoms of Florida Atlantic Sunday in the consolation semifinals.
 
Daniella Roldan split her matches in the No. 1 Singles consolation flight, defeating Florida Atlantic’s Natalia Boltinskaya, 6-2, 6-1, before being eliminated by FGCU’s Julia Ascua, 2-6, 6-7 (5-7).
 
Seventh-seeded Shirokova dropped a pair of singles matches Saturday, falling to Stolmar, 6-3, 6-1, before losing a marathon consolation match, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 0-1 (6-10, to Komola Umarova of FIU, who was seeded third in the main draw.
 
Miami’s team of Madcur and Roldan was eliminated in the No.1 doubles quarterfinals by North Florida’s Constanza Gorches and Ana Paula Melilo, 3-6.

“We’re always trying to balance the pursuit of mindful competition and being free enough to take big risks,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “I think we’ll get there. This is a great group with big aspirations.”

Eighteen matches are scheduled to be contested Sunday on the final day of tournament play. Doubles play begins at 8 a.m., with singles action to follow.

To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
 
SATURDAY RESULTS

Doubles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
Constanza Gorches/Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) def. Ana Madcur/Daniella Roldan (UM), 6-3
 
Doubles No. 2 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
[1] Yuna Ito/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Valentina Mariotto/Florencia Rossi (UNF), 6-0

Doubles No. 2 Flight – Main Draw Semifinals
Ito/Shirokova (UM) def. Vicky Geurinckx/Brooke Milner (Stetson), 6-2
 
Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Quarterfinals
No. 87 [1] Rebeka Stolmar (UCF) def. [7] Ulyana Shirokova (UM), 6-3, 6-1
[2] Lucia Marzal Martinez (UM) def. [6] Maja Ornberg (FGCU), 6-4, 6-0

Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Semifinals
Lucia Marzal Martinez (UM) def. [8] Maryna Vekler (FIU), 6-4, 6-3
 
Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw Second Round
Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Natalia Boltinskaya (FAU), 6-2, 6-1
Ana Madcur (UM) def. Sandra Bozinovic (FIU), 6-2, 6-1

Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw Quarterfinals
Julia Ascua (FGCU) def. Daniella Roldan (UM), 6-2, 7-6 (5)
Ana Madcur (UM) def. Ana Paula Mililo (UNF), 6-2, 6-3

Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw Playoff
Komola Umarova (FIU) def. Ulyana Shirokova (UM), 6-3, 6-7 (6), 10-6
 
Singles No. 2 Flight – Consolation Draw Playoff
Yuna Ito (UM) def. Valentina Mariotto (UNF), 6-1, 6-1
 
SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Doubles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Championship
[1] Yuna Ito/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) vs. [2] Sara Culbertson/Valentina Martin (UCF)
 
Singles No. 1 Flight – Main Draw Championship
[2] Lucia Marzel Martinez (UM) vs. No. 87 [1] Rebeka Stolmar (UCF)
 
Singles No. 1 Flight – Consolation Draw Semifinals
Ana Madcur (UM) vs. Kristen Thoms (FAU)
 
Singles No. 2 Flight – Consolation Draw Playoff
Yuna Ito (UM) vs. Selin Yaylali (USF)