MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – The Auburn women's tennis contingent at the ITA All-American Championships continues its week in the South Carolina lowcountry after a five-match day Thursday that followed numerous weather delays earlier in the week.
"We have learned a lot about ourselves in this tournament," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "How we bounce back from disappointment is always a choice. There is no substitute for grit; a hungry player is always a force to be reckoned with."
Play got underway Monday as 45th-ranked Carolyn Ansari dropped her opening match to 91st-ranked Miska Kadleckova of Iowa State, 6-4, 6-3.
Rain washed out all play Tuesday and pushed Ansari's match in the consolation draw to Wednesday. She led Washington's 124th-ranked Sarah-Maude Fortin 6-4, 5-4 when play was again halted by rain. Ansari earned a win by retirement before the match could resume Thursday morning.
In the main draw, Selin Ovunc dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to 44th-ranked Taisiya Pachkaleva of Pepperdine. Moving into the consolation draw, Ovunc then fell to Furman's 104th-ranked Julia Adams, 6-3, 6-4.
Main draw doubles play got underway Thursday with opening-round matches condensed to 8-game pro sets. Ansari and Ovunc dropped an 8-4 match to 26th-ranked Adams and Dillon of Furman, and the 19th-ranked team of Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach fell 8-5 to Wake Forest's 8th-ranked tandem of Brylin and Killingsworth.
In the consolation draw, Axon and Flach earned an 8-5 win over Poppe and Conde Monfort of Tulsa to advance to the consolation quarterfinals, set for Friday afternoon. Ansari and Ovunc came up short to the nation's No. 7-ranked team of Murgett and Oliveira of Missouri, 8-2.
Also getting underway Friday will be the SMU Red and Blue Challenge. Two Auburn players will be participating in that event as Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova are slated to travel to Dallas.
Friday's action in Dallas will get underway at 9 a.m. CT with two rounds of doubles; Astakhova and Chen will face Deming and Titova of Kansas in the first round. Chen will then face SMU's Jackie Nylander and Astakhova will take on UTSA's Aleksandra Zlatarova in the first round of singles.
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ITA All-American Championships
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Singles
Qualifying
#91 Miska Kadleckova (ISU) def. #45 Carolyn Ansari (AU), 6-4, 6-3
Qualifying-Consolation
#45 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. #124 Sarah-Maude Fortin (UW), 6-4, 5-4 retired
Main Draw
#44 Taisiya Pachkaleva (PEPP) def. #33 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-3, 6-4
Main Draw-Consolation
#104 Julia Adams (FUR) def. #33 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
Main Draw
#26 Adams/Dillon (FUR) def. Ansari/Ovunc (AU), 8-4
#8 Brylin/Killingsworth (WF) def. #19 Axon/Flach (AU), 8-5
Consolation
#7 Murgett/Oliveira (MIZ) def. Ansari/Ovunc (AU), 8-2
#19 Axon/Flach (AU) def. Poppe/Conde Monfort (TULS), 8-5
Tigers continue play at ITA All-Americans, prep for SMU Challenge
