Perez-Somarriba Drops Round of 16 Match at ITA Fall Nationals
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
Friday Result | Full Tournament Results | Final Fall Stats | Thursday Recap | Wednesday Recap
SURPRISE, Ariz. – Estela Perez-Somarriba of the University of Miami women’s tennis team saw her outstanding fall season come to an end Friday.
The junior dropped a 3-6, 2-6 decision to UCLA’s Elysia Bolton at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in the third round of the prestigious Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.
“Estela had a good fall season in preparation for her challenges and goals ahead,” Miami associate head coach Laura Vallverdu said. “Not the result she wanted today, but [there are] some good lessons to be learned.”
Perez-Somarriba, ranked third and seeded second, dropped the first three games of the match against Bolton, seeded No. 13 and ranked third on the ITA newcomer list, before bouncing back. However, she was unable to claw her way to a first-set win and then Bolton controlled play in the second set to take the match.
This was the second time Perez-Somarriba and Bolton met in 2018, with the former earning a 6-4, 6-0 triumph in the Oracle ITA Masters quarterfinals in Malibu, Calif., on Sept. 21.
For Perez-Somarriba, this marks the first time in her four fall tournaments she has not earned a trophy. The Madrid native won the Oracle ITA Masters, claimed the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships back draw title and won the crown in the top flight of the Marliss Gruver Fall Invitational.
Perez-Somarriba caps her fall campaign with a stellar 12-2 mark that includes a 6-1 ledger against ranked foes and a perfect 5-0 mark versus top-50 opponents.
Additionally, Perez-Somarriba finished the calendar year with a 40-5 record, including a 21-4 mark versus ranked players and a 14-3 mark against top-30 foes. The defeat against Bolton was just her second of 2018 in straight sets.
For more information on the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, including the complete draws, click HERE.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
FRIDAY RESULT
Singles Main Draw – Round of 16
[13] Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. No. 3 [2] Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM), 6-3, 6-2
