University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, October 7
Birmingham, Ala.
All Day
University of Memphis
vs
Samford Invitational
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Women’s Tennis Wraps Up Samford Invitational
Oct 07, 2017 | Women's Tennis
Weather forces play to conclude on Saturday.
MEMPHIS – With potential inclement weather in the Birmingham area due to incoming Hurricane Nate, the Samford Women's Tennis Invitational wrapped up a day earlier than planned and with a smaller field than it started.
The remaining teams played out their respective brackets a day early, including six Tigers.
In doubles, the team of Hanna Sohn and Laura Bente received a default in the first round of A doubles, then grabbed a 6-4 win over the team of Fabrizi and Muller of Tulane. That would have set up a championship match against the South Alabama team of Zolotareva and Fujioka, but the Memphis duo received a second default there with the schedule change.
In B doubles, the Memphis team of Josephine Cao and Lina Hohnhold dropped their opening match 7-6 to the team of Atkinson and Kurtz from Tulane, then were edged by the UAB team of Herrmann and Dodds, 6-4. That set the duo up for a seventh place match against Kohoutova and Bustamente from South Alabama, that resulted in a default win for the Memphis duo.
The one Memphis doubles entry that got to play out its full slate was the team of Kate Sullivan and Katherine Cao. The tandem won their opening match, 7-6, over the Samford team of Wood and Pool, then advanced to the championship match of the C draw with a 6-1 win over the team of Castella and Pereira. In that championship match, it was the Middle Tennessee team of Zirilli and Peris that grabbed the title though, with a 6-4 decision.
In singles, Hanna Sohn made a run to the championship of the A singles final on Saturday. After a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 win on Friday to advance to her semifinal, she grabbed a 6-3, 7-6 win Saturday morning to make the final. There, she came from from a 6-2 first set loss to grab a 7-5 second set victory, but fell in a tiebreaker, 1-0 (9).
In B singles, Laura Bente also used a Friday win to qualify for a Saturday semifinal. She downed Tanit Lopez from Southern Miss, 7-5, 6-1, but drew Samford's Ellie Gerlach. Gerlach, who had just grabbed a three-set win in the quarterfinal, used extra play to get past Bente, 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (5). Gerlach would go on to win the draw in straight sets.
Lina Hohnhold won her opening set Friday, 6-3, but fell 6-2, 6-2 in the next two sets to Tulane's Elena Muller to move to the consolation draw. There, she faced Samford's Holly Horsfall, falling 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals. She was scheduled to face South Alabama's Yu Fujioka in the seventh place match, and received a default when USA left early because of the storms projected to hit the Gulf Coast.
Katherine Cao had a similar experience in her singles draw. Cao won her opening set 7-6, against Samford's Arianna Beltrame, but the home-standing Beltrame came back to get the second and third sets 7-5, 6-0 to move Cao to the consolation semifinal. There, Cao again won her opening set, and again found herself playing in extra sets after UAB's Jana Hecking won the se set 6-2. In the tiebreaker, it was the Blazer from UAB who advanced, with a 1-0 (6) decision.
In the consolation draw, Cao was to have faced South Alabama's Patricia Martins, but received the default in the seventh place match.
Claire Sullivan used a straight set Friday win over Savannah Wood from Samford, 6-3, 6-0, to advance to the semifinal of her E singles draw. Following a default from Tulane's Daniela La Fuente, Sullivan found herself in the Saturday final against Middle Tennessee's Constanza Magazzini. Magazzini took the flight with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Josephine Cao played in the F singles flight and played a trio of matches. Twice, she pushed an opponent to the brink, falling 7-6, 7-5, to Samford's Nadine de Villiers, then dropping another 7-6, 7-5 decision to Samford's Grace Jennings Saturday afternoon. In the morning, Cao fell to Middle Tennessee's Josefina Zehnder, 6-0, 6-2.
Memphis will have a short turnaround to its next event, the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals. That event begins Thursday at Middle Tennessee.
The remaining teams played out their respective brackets a day early, including six Tigers.
In doubles, the team of Hanna Sohn and Laura Bente received a default in the first round of A doubles, then grabbed a 6-4 win over the team of Fabrizi and Muller of Tulane. That would have set up a championship match against the South Alabama team of Zolotareva and Fujioka, but the Memphis duo received a second default there with the schedule change.
In B doubles, the Memphis team of Josephine Cao and Lina Hohnhold dropped their opening match 7-6 to the team of Atkinson and Kurtz from Tulane, then were edged by the UAB team of Herrmann and Dodds, 6-4. That set the duo up for a seventh place match against Kohoutova and Bustamente from South Alabama, that resulted in a default win for the Memphis duo.
The one Memphis doubles entry that got to play out its full slate was the team of Kate Sullivan and Katherine Cao. The tandem won their opening match, 7-6, over the Samford team of Wood and Pool, then advanced to the championship match of the C draw with a 6-1 win over the team of Castella and Pereira. In that championship match, it was the Middle Tennessee team of Zirilli and Peris that grabbed the title though, with a 6-4 decision.
In singles, Hanna Sohn made a run to the championship of the A singles final on Saturday. After a 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 win on Friday to advance to her semifinal, she grabbed a 6-3, 7-6 win Saturday morning to make the final. There, she came from from a 6-2 first set loss to grab a 7-5 second set victory, but fell in a tiebreaker, 1-0 (9).
In B singles, Laura Bente also used a Friday win to qualify for a Saturday semifinal. She downed Tanit Lopez from Southern Miss, 7-5, 6-1, but drew Samford's Ellie Gerlach. Gerlach, who had just grabbed a three-set win in the quarterfinal, used extra play to get past Bente, 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (5). Gerlach would go on to win the draw in straight sets.
Lina Hohnhold won her opening set Friday, 6-3, but fell 6-2, 6-2 in the next two sets to Tulane's Elena Muller to move to the consolation draw. There, she faced Samford's Holly Horsfall, falling 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals. She was scheduled to face South Alabama's Yu Fujioka in the seventh place match, and received a default when USA left early because of the storms projected to hit the Gulf Coast.
Katherine Cao had a similar experience in her singles draw. Cao won her opening set 7-6, against Samford's Arianna Beltrame, but the home-standing Beltrame came back to get the second and third sets 7-5, 6-0 to move Cao to the consolation semifinal. There, Cao again won her opening set, and again found herself playing in extra sets after UAB's Jana Hecking won the se set 6-2. In the tiebreaker, it was the Blazer from UAB who advanced, with a 1-0 (6) decision.
In the consolation draw, Cao was to have faced South Alabama's Patricia Martins, but received the default in the seventh place match.
Claire Sullivan used a straight set Friday win over Savannah Wood from Samford, 6-3, 6-0, to advance to the semifinal of her E singles draw. Following a default from Tulane's Daniela La Fuente, Sullivan found herself in the Saturday final against Middle Tennessee's Constanza Magazzini. Magazzini took the flight with a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Josephine Cao played in the F singles flight and played a trio of matches. Twice, she pushed an opponent to the brink, falling 7-6, 7-5, to Samford's Nadine de Villiers, then dropping another 7-6, 7-5 decision to Samford's Grace Jennings Saturday afternoon. In the morning, Cao fell to Middle Tennessee's Josefina Zehnder, 6-0, 6-2.
Memphis will have a short turnaround to its next event, the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals. That event begins Thursday at Middle Tennessee.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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