TUCSON, Ariz.--- Arizona got off to an impressive start during the opening day of the Wildcat Invitational, ending Friday with a 14-3 overall record which included an undefeated doubles campaign (3-0). Six of the seven players advanced into the second round of singles play, and four of those six will be playing in the singles semifinals on Saturday at the El Conquistador Country Club.
“Overall it was a good first day for us,” head coach Vicky Maes said. “I saw some really good competition and a lot of heart out there. Obviously we are still in a stage where we are working on a lot of things, and being able to see the new kids in action and their thought process is really going to be helpful moving forward. All in all it was a really good day for the Cats.”
Freshman Kinga Gartner won her two single matches on the day, the first against senior Jordan Densik of NAU (6-2, 6-0) and the second coming against Marquette freshman Courtney Hebard (6-3, 6-3), to push her way into the Blue Draw semifinals. After dropping her first match in the Blue Draw, sophomore Devin Chypyha came back in the second round, besting NAU's Julia Schepp by a score of 6-3, 6-1.
Junior Samantha Czarniak and Senior Inge Hendrikx each won two close matches in the White Draw, advancing themselves into the semifinals. Czarniak beat Utah State sophomore Maggie O'Meara (7-6, 7-5) before taking another victory, this time in the third set, against NAU freshman Eirene Granville (6-4, 4-6, 6-2). Meanwhile, Hendrikx won her first match against Marquette Senior Aleeza Kanner (6-3, 6-2), and later battled against UTEP senior Matilda Tench, winning her second round match in three sets (6-2, 6-7, 6-4).
The Wildcat Draw saw Arizona freshman Sophia Thomas dominate. She won her first match against UTEP freshman Bethan Hayward by a score of 6-3, 6-2, and took her second match against NAU sophomore Livia Hollosy 6-0, 6-1.
Senior Shayne Austin and freshman Camila Wesbrooks both won their first match of the Red Draw. Austin's win came in three sets against New Mexico's Sharon Coone (6-7, 6-2, 6-3) while Wesbrooks beat NAU junior Marta Lewandowska by a score of 6-3, 6-1.
The Wildcats were equally impressive in doubles play with Gartner and Czarniak winning their only doubles match of the day, coming in the first flight, against Chloe Jollif and Elena Araudova of NMSU by a score of 8-3. The tandem of Austin and Hendrikx also experienced success as they took down NMSU's Meredith Hopson and Jacobea Junger by a score of 8-4. The second doubles flight also saw some impressive play from the Cats. Chypyha and Wesbrooks advanced to the next round on a bye. The multi team mashup of NMSU freshman Sarah Van Eeckhoudt and Arizona's Thomas went on to beat Pima Community College's doubles team of Brown and Ruth by a score of 8-1.
This success in doubles play bodes well for a young Wildcat squad.
“We haven't had a whole lot of time to work on doubles yet,” Maes said. “We were curious to see how these teams worked out this morning, and I thought they worked out very well. I certainly think we need to work on much more detail in doubles, so having an opportunity to play two doubles matches tomorrow with the ability to talk to them in between will help us get better throughout the day.”
Saturday's play will consist of one singles round and two doubles rounds with the first matches of the day (doubles) slated for 9 am MST. Every Arizona doubles team has a chance to make it into the finals in their respective flights while four singles teams have yet lose a match.
Doubles
Flight #1
Guensler and Tugarinova (Utah St.) def. Muller and Katz (Tulane) 9-7
Coone and Leblanc (New Mexico) def. Visscher and Wagenvoort (UTEP) 8-4
Gartner and Czarniak (UA) def. Jollif and Arnaudova (NMSU) 8-3
Rochin and Lewandoska (NAU) def. Ambrosio and Tormos (Marquette) 8-6
Kulicke and Santos (UTEP) def. Gebes and Kanner (Marquette) 8-7
Birol and Atkinson (Tulane) def. Box and Schepp (NAU) 8-3
Copas and Bhat (New Mexico) def. Demerath and Van de Vondel (Utah St.) 8-4
Austin and Hendrikx (UA) def. Hopson and Junger (UTSA) 8-4
Flight #2
Chypyha and Wesbrooks (UA) BYE
Daems and Hebard (Marquette) def. Hayward and Medina (UTEP) 8-3
Denesik and Brown (NAU) def. Klier and Gaber (Tulane) 8-3
O'Meara and Kane (Utah St.) BYE
Tench and Bennett (UTEP) BYE
Thomas (UA) and Van Eeckhoudt (NMSU) def. Brown and Ruth (Pima CC) 8-1
Granville and Hollosy (NAU) def. Rosell and Tawari (UTSA) 8-5
Kurtz and Kagaroz (Tulane) BYE
Singles
Red Draw First Round
Muller (Tulane) BYE
Junger(UTSA) def. Ambrosio (Marquette) 6-4, 6-1
Austin (UA) def. Coone (NM) 6-7, 6-2, 6-3
Kulicke (UTEP) def. Rochin (NAU) 6-3, 6-3
Wesbrooks (UA) def. Lewandoska (NAU) 6-3, 6-3
Leblanc (NM) def. Gebes (Marquette) 6-2, 6-2
Santos (UTEP) def. Birol (Tulane) 6-2, 6-2
Rosell (UTSA) def. Guensler (Utah St.) 6-3, 7-5
Second Round
Muller (Tulane) def. Junger (UTSA) 1-6, 7-6, 6-3
Kulicke (UTEP) def. Austin (UA) 6-1, 6-3
Leblanc (NM) def. Wesbrooks (UA) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Rosell (UTSA) def. Santos (UTEP) 6-2, 7-5
Consolation Round
Ambrosio (Marquette) BYE
Roshin (NAU) def. Coone (NM) 6-2, 6-1
Gerber (Marquette) def. Lewandoska (NAU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
Birol (Tulane) def. Guensler (Utah St.) 6-0, 6-3
Blue Draw First Round
Karagoz (Tulane) def. Visscher (UTEP) 6-2, 6-4
Bath (NM) def. Box (NAU) 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
Hebard (Marquette) def. Arnaudora (NMSU) 6-2, 6-2
Gartner (UA) def. Denesik (NAU) 6-2, 6-0
Jolliff (NMSU) def. Kurtz (Tulane) 6-2, 6-2
Hopson (UTSA) def. Wagenvort (UTEP) 1-6, 6-4, 7-4
Tokar (Marquette) def. Schepp (NAU) 6-2, 6-4
Demerath (Utah) def. Chypyha (UA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Second Round
Karagoz (Tulane) def. Bath (NM) 6-1, 6-2
Gartner (UA) def. Hebard (Marquette) 6-3, 6-3
Jolliff (NMSU) def. Hopson (UTSA) 6-3, WR
Demerath (Utah) def. Tokar (Marquette) 6-4, 6-4
Consolation Round
Visscher (UTEP) def. Box (NAU) 2-1, WR
Denesik (NAU) def. Arnaudora (NMSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Kurtz (Tulane) def. Wagenvort (UTEP) 6-0, 6-0
Chypyha (UA) Def. Schepp (NAU) 6-3, 6-1
White Draw First round
Czarniak (UA) def. O'meara (Utah St.) 7-6, 7-5
Granville (NAU) def. Tawari (UTSA) 6-3, WR
Klier (Tulane) def. Bennet (UTEP) 7-5, 6-1
Tormos (Marquette) def. Ruth (Pima CC) 6-1, 6-0
Hendrikx (UA) def. Kanner (Marquette) 6-3, 6-2
Tench (UTEP) def. Tugarinova (Utah St.) 6-0, 6-3
Brown (NAU) def. Van Eekhoudt (NMSU) 7-5, 6-4
Copas (NM) def. Atkinson (Tulane) 6-3, 6-1
Second Round
Czarniak (UA) def. Granville (NAU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
Klier (Tulane) def. Tormos (Marquette) 6-1, 6-3
Hendrikx (UA) def. Tench (UTEP) 6-2, 6-7, 6-4
Copas (NM) def. Brown (NAU) 6-1, 6-7, 6-1
Consolation
O'Meara (Utah St.) def. Tawari (UTSA) WR
Bennet (UTEP) def. Ruth (Pima CC) 6-0, 6-1
Tugarinova (Utah St.) def. Kanner (Marquette) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Atkinson (Tulane) def. Van Eekhoudt (NMSU) 6-0, 6-0
Wildcat Draw
Medina (UTEP) def. Brown (Pima CC) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
Van de Vonde (Utah St.) def. Gaber (Tulane) 6-3, 6-1
Hollosy (NAU) def. Kane (Utah St.) 6-1, 6-2, 7-5
Thomas (UA) def. Hayward (UTEP) 6-2, 6-3
Second Round
Van de Vonde (Utah St.) def. Medina (UTEP) 6-1, 6-1
Thomas (UA) def. Hollosy (NAU) 6-1, 5-0
Consolation Round
Gaber (Tulane) def. Brown (Pima CC) 3-0, WR
Kane (Utah St.) def. Hayward (UTEP) 6-1, 6-4
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