The University of Akron Athletics
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Harutyunyan Advances to ITA Singles Round of 16
October 26 | Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. – University of Akron freshman tennis player Zara Harutyunyan scored a pair of singles wins on Saturday to advance herself into the main draw round of 16 at the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Midwest Regional Championships being held at the Michigan State Indoor Tennis Facility.
Harutyunyan, the first UA player to pre-qualify to compete in
the regional main draw, defeated Michigan State's Whitney Wilson
6-0, 6-0 in the round of 64 and then topped Ohio State's Kirsten
Flower 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 32. Flower was seeded fifth
and is ranked 41st in the ITA preseason rankings. Play in the round
of 16 starts on Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT, and Harutyunyan will face off
against Northwestern freshman Elena Chernyakova. Quarterfinals and
semifinals would be played on Monday.
Zips sophomore Anna Baronayte also competing in the singles main draw, advancing out of the qualifier earlier in the weekend. She lost in the round of 64 to Kali Krisik of Notre Dame, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Krisik is ranked 98th nationally and advanced herself into the round of 16. Baronayte went on to lose her consolation match in a three-set super tiebreaker to Alexis Dorr of Iowa, 3-6, 6-4, 10-7.
Saturday's performance gives Harutyunyan the honor of claiming
the most successful run by an Akron player at an ITA regional in
school history. Additionally, it is the first time in program
history that two UA players competed in the main draw. Akron is one
of 14 schools in the region to have two or more players compete in
the main draw.
"It was great to see Anna and Zara represent the Akron tennis team so well today," head coach Jeffrey Wyshner said. "To beat the No. 5 seed, Zara had to play some incredible tennis and keep her composure despite losing the first set and trailing 2-0 and 4-3 in the third set. Anna was also exceptional as she faced her first nationally-ranked opponent of the year and very nearly pulled off the upset despite playing her fourth match in 48 hours."
Players Mentioned
