The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
ITA Regional Championships
Tennis Wraps Up Day One of Singles Play at Midwest Regional
October 22 | Women's Tennis
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ITA Midwest Regional Site | Qualifying Singles Draw (PDF) | Main Doubles Draw (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Akron tennis players Sophia Geier and Ariadna Blinova each advanced to the finals of the qualifying singles draw at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships on Thursday at University of Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center.
"Today was a good day overall," said head coach Brandon Padgett. "I am extremely pleased with how composed Ari and Sophia played in both of their matches, and they were extremely impressive in their second matches. They have put themselves in a great position heading into the final round of qualifying singles tomorrow."
The sophomores are two of 16 players left in the qualifying singles draw. Geier defeated Youngstown State's Julianne Heino 6-1, 6-1 to move into the round of 32 where she beat Wisconsin's Lauren Burich (6-4, 6-1). In the first round, Blinova posted a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Detroit's Irina Slizovskaya before claiming a 6-2, 7-6 (3) decision over Michigan's Kara Hall in the round of 32.
Geier will now face Katja Fevralev from Western Michigan while Blinova takes on Andrea Martinovska from Eastern Michigan with both matches starting at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. The winners of each match will earn one of eight qualifying spots in the main singles draw at the ITA Midwest Regional.
Senior Martina Zerbola fell to Western Michigan's Denise Azcui, 6-1, 7-6(5) before dropping a 6-0, 6-2 result in the consolation round to Anna Davydova of Detroit. Karolina Maksimova lost to Cleveland State's Mathilde Orange, 6-2, 7-5 in the first round. In her consolation match, Maksimova claimed a 6-1, 6-3 win over Eastern Illinois' Ali Foster.
"I am also excited to see how our doubles teams perform tomorrow," Padgett concluded. "I hope that we can continue to play composed, hard nosed tennis."
At 2 p.m. tomorrow, the doubles team of Geier and Maksimova with face off against Eastern Michigan's Anna Veleva and Renu Sharma. Blinova and Zerbola will compete against DePaul's Jarret Fisher and Zaina Sufi at 2:30 p.m.
Players are vying for a spot in the prestigious USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, which will take place on Nov. 12-15 at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
Qualifying Singles Draw Results
First Round:
Geier (Akron) def. Heino (Youngstown State) 6-1, 6-1
Blinova (Akron) def. Slizovskaya (Detroit) 6-3, 6-3
Azcui (Western Michigan) def. Zerbola (Akron) 6-1, 7-6(5)
Orange (Cleveland State) def. Maksimava (Akron) 6-2, 7-5
Second Round:
Geier (Akron) def. Burich (Wisconsin) 6-4, 6-1
Blinova (Akron) def. Hall (Michigan) 6-2, 7-6(3)
Consolation Round:
Davydova (Detroit) def. Zerbola (Akron) 6-0, 6-2
Maksimava (Akron) def. Foster (Eastern Illinois) 6-1, 6-3
