ROME, GA – Players moved one step closer to securing divisional singles and doubles championships following a busy first day of competition at the 2018 ITA Cup, hosted by the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.
Day two action on Friday will feature divisional semifinal play in singles and doubles for men and women, along with consolation matches in all draws. Competitors are guaranteed three matches at the ITA Cup.
To view updated draws, photos and live streaming on six courts (courtesy of PlaySight), visit the official ITA Cup event page .
Division II
Logan Morrisey and Alexis Czapinski of Washburn University notched a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 1-0 (9) victory over top-seeded Klara Thell-Lenntorp and Alma Thell-Lenntorp of Academy of Art in Thursday’s opening round. Another unseeded team, Nikol Alexeeva and Anna Novikova of Indianapolis, scored a 6-3, 6-1 upset against No. 3 seeded Zhenia Shviadok and Sarah Frendo of Cameron University.
Vaishali Jorge’s 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 2 seed Monika Stanikova of Academy of Art highlighted women’s singles play on Thursday. The University of North Georgia player advances to the semifinals with the victory and will face Isabella Dunlap of Central Oklahoma. Dunlap also took down a seeded player on Thursday, topping No. 3 Zhenia Shviadok of Cameron University 7-5, 6-3. Top-seeded Hanna Volikova of Indianapolis won her opening round match 6-2, 6-1 over Barbara Quagliardi of NYIT, and No. 4 seed Berta Bonardi of West Florida scored a 6-1, 6-1 decision versus Kristine Gegeshidze of the University of Charleston (West Virginia).
In men’s singles, the No. 1 seed and defending Division II men’s singles champion, Kiranpal Pannu of Columbus State, rallied after dropping the first set to Renato Lima of Indianapolis to take their opening round match 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Pannu will face Franco Oliva of Northwest Missouri State in the semifinals, after Lima outlasted No. 4 seed Chase Bartlett of St. Edward’s University 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The other semifinal will feature Arthur Figuiere of Bluefield State College and No. 2 seed Pierre Montrieul of Barry University. Figuiere scored a 6-3, 6-4 decision over No. 3 seed Jakob Schnaitter of Azusa Pacific, while Montrieul recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win over Michele Fenoaltea of Concordia College (NY).
The four seeded teams in men’s doubles all held serve on Thursday, setting up their semifinal matches on Friday. It’ll be No. 1 Zach Whaanga and Alvaro Regalado of Columbus State taking on No. 4 Andres Donayre and Juan Ortiz Couder of Embry-Riddle in one match and No. 3 Filip Kesina and Jakob Schnaitter of Azusa Pacific facing No. 2 Alejandro Valarezo Plaza and Paul Haase of Washburn.
Division III
Top-seeded Jonathan Jemison of Emory looked sharp in an opening round 6-1, 6-0 victory over Ethan Hillis from Washington University in St. Louis. Fourth-seeded Boris Sorkin of Tufts will face Jemison in the semifinals following his 6-4, 6-1 win against Jake Trondson of Hamline University. Alan Dubrovsky of Hobart College scored the day’s lone upset in singles with a 7-5, 6-3 decision over No. 3 seed Chaz Downing of Carnegie Mellon. Dubrovsky and No. 2 seed Chad Leduff of UC Santa Cruz will meet in the semifinals. Leduff won 6-0, 6-2 in the first round over Joshua Bode of Concordia University (TX).
Seeded men’s doubles teams had a tough go on Thursday. Yangeng Jiang and Justin Wang of Bowdoin won by default over the No. 1-seeded Chaz Downing and Daniel Levine of Carnegie Mellon, while Jemison and Adrien Bouchet took No. 2 Tyler Raclin and Jeremy Yuan of Chicago 6-3, 6-2. Gustavus Adolphus saw its team of Patrick Whaling and Chase Johnson upset No. 3 Jordan Pitts and Wilson Lambeth of Trinity (TX) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5).
Emory also has the No. 1 seed in the women’s singles draw. Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico opened play with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Skidmore’s Risa Fukushige. Taking on Gonzalez-Rico in the semifinals will be Wesleyan’s Venia Yeung. The No. 4 seed Yeung topped Ginger Valentine of Gustavus Adolphus 6-0, 6-2 on Thursday. Caroline Casper of Pomona-Pitzer, the No. 3 seed, is through to the semifinals following a 7-5, 6-4 win over Michelle Uyeda of Linfield College.
The No. 1 seed in the women’s doubles draw fell on Thursday, as Carnegie Mellon’s Danna Taylor and Melissa Strome slipped past Wesleyan’s Kristina Yu and Victoria Yu 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (6). The No.’s 2-4 seeds all won their respective opening round matches on Thursday.
NAIA
Zlata Shuraeva of William Woods University registered the lone upset in the women’s singles draw on Thursday, as she topped No. 4 seed Ainhoa Garijo Garrido of Cumberland (TN) 6-3, 6-2. Shuraeva will face top-seeded Madeline Bosnjak of Georgia Gwinnett in Friday’s semifinals. Bosnjak won 6-1, 6-1 over Sarah Urbanek of San Diego Christian College on Thursday. The other semifinal will feature No. 3 Daniela Farfan and No. 2 seed Anais Gabriel, both of Keiser University. Farfan defeated Elizabeth Bauss of Indiana Wesleyan 6-1, 6-4, while Gabriel scored a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Brittany Zipf of McPherson College.
In the women’s doubles, the No.’s 1-3 seeds all advanced to Friday’s semifinal round, while Ljiljana Pajcin and Isidora Petkovic of Union College (KY) took down No. 4 seeded Johanna Weber and Priya Sukkahana of SCAD 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (7).
Three of the four seeds advanced to the semifinals, with Radu Popa of the University of Northwestern Ohio scoring an upset of No. 3 seed Agustin Gascia of Cardinal Stritch University 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. Top-seeded Mika Kosonen of Georgia Gwinnett went three sets with Enzo Douillac of Arizona Christian, prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Kosonen will face No. 4 seed Arthur Bonnaud of Keiser University in the semifinals, following Bonnaud’s 6-4, 6-3 victory over Cole Guy of Texas A&M, Texarkana. Federico Herrera Duran of Georgia Gwinnett, the No. 2 seed, defeated Srdan Pejic of Union College (KY) 6-4, 6-1.
All seeded teams in men’s doubles advanced to Friday’s semifinals. Ayed Zatar and Valentino Caratini of Georgia Gwinnett will face No. 4 Olivier Koeng and Riccardo Ferraris of Keiser, while No. 2 Federico Herrera Duran and Rafael Coutinho of Georgia Gwinnett take on No. 3 Jesse Miritello and Enzo Douillac of Arizona Christian.
JUCO
Defending JUCO men’s singles champion Marcus Walters of Tyler Junior College opened the 2018 ITA Cup with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Joshua Rose of ASA Miami. Walters will face No. 4 seed Nicolas Rousset of Seward County Community College in Friday’s semifinal round. Rousset won a tough three-set match over Frederik Orvad of Eastern Florida State College 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7) on Thursday. Alex Parker, the No. 3 seed from Tyler Junior College, downed Bruno Duarte of Cerritos College 6-1, 6-1 in the first round, while No. 2 seed Toru Horie of ASA Miami battled past Hugo Lobo of Seward CCC in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
ASA Miami had a strong showing in top half of the men’s doubles draw, with Sergio Ingles and Matthew Carroll topping the No. 1 seed from Tyler Junior College, Alex Parker and Marcus Walters 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6). Tao Castillo and Joshua Rose, the No. 4 seeded team, bested Stevan Quintanar and Bruno Duarto of Cerritos College 6-2, 7-6. Seward CCC controlled the bottom portion of the draw, with Gabriel Nery and Sander Jans upsetting No. 3 Toru Horie and Andres Cabezas of ASA Miami 6-2, 6-2, while teammates and No. 2 seeds Hugo Lobo and Nicolas Rousset won their opening round match 6-1, 7-5 over Victor Plaza-Barnils and Lucas Legrand of Cerritos.
Top-seeded Maria Genovese of Tyler Junior College raced past Yuseung Suh of Fullerton College 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round. Anna Brogan, also of Tyler JC, advanced to the semifinals. The No. 3 seed blanked Maria Aveiga of Seward CCC in straight sets. Brogan will face No. 2 seed Molly Helgesson of ASA Miami in the semifinals. Helgesson won her first round contest 6-2, 6-3 against Vasevi Ganesan Shanthi of ABAC. Tatiana Simova of ASA Miami recorded a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 4 seed Patricia Panta of Seward CCC.
The four seeded women’s doubles teams won their respective opening round contests on Thursday. On Friday in the semifinals, it’ll be No. 1 Anna Brogan and Maria Genovese of Tyler Junior College against No. 4 Agustina Diaz and Vasevi Ganesan Shanthi of ABAC, while No. 2 Michaela Krauskova and Tatiana Simova of ASA Miami take on teammates and No. 3 seed Soomin Kim and Molly Helgesson.
