The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Women''s ITA Regional @ Ohio State
Tennis Completes Day Two of USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships
October 21 | Women's Tennis
USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships Central
COLUMBUS – Freshman Olga Shkundina posted a victory in the qualifying singles round of 16 and earned a berth in the main draw to highlight The University of Akron tennis team's second day of competition at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships on Friday at Ohio State.
Shkundina, who tallied a pair of straight-set wins on Thursday in day one of the qualifier, got the best of Bowling Green's Maddie Eccleston 6-2, 6-2 today to move into the main draw competition which starts on Saturday.
Shkundina joins UA senior Zara Harutyunyan and junior Prang Pantusart in the main draw. Harutyunyan and Pantusart pre-qualified. Tomorrow, Shkundina will face Michigan's Kristy Dodge and Pantusart will take on Illinois' Melissa Kopinski, while Harutyunyan will enjoy an opening-round bye as one of 16 seeded players.
Zips sophomore Natalia Kuvakina, who like Shkundina posted two wins yesterday in the singles qualifier, dropped her round of 16 contest to Ohio State's Tiffany Dittmer, 7-6, 6-4.
Competition in the doubles main draw began on Friday as well, with two Akron pairs advancing to the bracket's round of 16. Harutyunyan and Pantusart earned a first-round bye as the tenth seed and in the second round disposed of Michigan's Sam Critser and Sarah Lee 8-5, while identical twins Angelika Jogasuria and Angelina Jogasuria defeated Ohio States Kelsey Becker and Dittmer 8-3, and DePaul's Gia McKnight and Kelsey Lawson, 8-5. Kuvakina and Ksenia Berestetska fell 8-5 to Western Michigan's Maria Nivia and April Kerr in the opening round.
The tournament runs through Tuesday, with Saturday's competition scheduled to get underway at 8 a.m. ET. Click the link at the top of this article to access updated draws, live match results and a complete tournament schedule.
The winners of the event's singles and doubles main draw earn a berth to the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships on Nov. 3-6 at the USTA–Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
For more information on each 2011 USTA/ITA Regional Championships site and the National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, visit www.itatennis.com. Fans can also follow the ITA on Facebook and Twitter.
Players Mentioned
