TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati tennis team traveled to Murfreesboro, Tenn., over the weekend and fared well in the 2017 ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships hosted by Middle Tennessee State with all three Bearcats doubles teams advancing to the third round of the main draw to lead the way in the final fall event of 2017. The event, which ran October 12-15, saw six Bearcats take the courts in singles while also joining forced in doubles play as well.
"Competing against the very best teams in the region, our quality of play was what I hoped it would be going in," Head Coach Eric Toth said. "We have played very good doubles all Fall and I am glad it carried over into this event. We earned victories over some really good programs and played very well even in defeat. Singles was much of the same. Ioana and Emma's efforts definitely stand out, but we had other opportunities to advance in the draw where we just came up a little short. I am happy where our team is at as we exit Fall competition. We have gotten in a lot of match play in a very short period of time. I feel our young players understand that you have to mentally and physically be at a high level every time you step on the court if you are going to get the job done on a particular day. We are poised to be successful when our season begins in January. We will have to respect every single opponent we take the court against. No one should scare us too much either. It promises to be an exciting 2018 season for this group."
// SINGLES RECAP
Newcomers Emma Miceli and Ioana Guna continued to impress as the both advanced to the third round of the main draw with a pair of wins in the early stages before suffering defeat. Miceli opened her tournament with a near perfect 6-1, 6-0 victory over Miami (Ohio) player Anastasia Vasiukhina. She then met #17 seed Abbie Phaz of Louisville and upset the Cardinal in three sets, 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1. One match later, Miceli was eliminated from the tournament as she dropped a 6-4, 6-1 score to #15 Sylvia Amrosio of Purdue.
Guna had a similar path to Miceli as she won her first two matches before falling in the third round. After advancing from the first round via an injury withdraw of her opponent Sydney Patton (Chattanooga), Guna came back after dropping the first set to #17 Elpida Malamou of Western Kentucky to win, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5. In the third round, Guna fell to #8 Sadie Hammond of Tennessee, 7-5, 6-0.
Two other Bearcats each won once before falling from the bracket, including Antonella Bramato and Anna Philp. Philp was the lone Bearcats player to win her opening match as she downed Delaney Edwards of Chattanooga, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. She would then face #17 Ena Babic of Purdue, where she dropped a three-set match, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Bramato fell in her opening match of the main draw before rebounding to win a consolation match the next day as she battled #17 Johanna Silva of Tennessee through three sets before falling, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. She then defeated Rachel Sutton of Butler, 7-5, 6-2.
Caroline Morton and Alexia Coutino also competed in the main draw with both women falling in their opening round matches. Coutino dropped a three-set match with Costanza Magazzini of MTSU, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, before seeing her singles action end in the consolation round after she retired from a match with Maya Smith of Louisville. Morton opened with a 7-6(0), 6-4 loss to Tenika McGiffin of Tennessee before falling in a 6-4, 5-7, 10-7, match to Joey Cao of Memphis.
// DOUBLES RECAP
All three doubles teams entered the main draw competition with each of the Bearcats duos reaching the third round of the event as each also downed a #9 seeded team along the way. Bramato and Philip teamed together and faced the #9 team of Alex Sabe and Amina Mukhametshina from Purdue and downed the duo 8-7(5) to advance to the second round. After defeating the Chattanooga team of Emma Van Hee and Tamri Chalaganidze, 8-5, Bramato and Philp faced the #1 seeded team of Mami Adachi and Akvile Parazinskaite of Kentucky, falling to the Wildcats duo, 8-5.
Guna and Morton opened their day with a convincing 8-2 victory over Indiana's team of Caitlin Bernard and Xiwei Cai in the first round before upsetting the #9 seed UK duo of Emily Fanning and Isabel Iglesias Prieto, 8-7(1). In the third round, the Bearcats fell to Tennessee's #5 seed Sadie Hammond and Gabby Schuck, 8-4.
The final duo to play was Miceli and Coutino, who also posted a 2-1 record. The Bearcats opened with an impressive 8-1 victory over Wright State's team of Madison Riley and Luisa Pelayo. Then, in a conference showdown, the UC duo faced #9 seeded Hanna Sohn and Laura Bente of Memphis, defeating the Tigers' team, 8-6. In the third round, Miceli and Coutino fell to the #3 seeded UK team of Justina Mikulskyte and Lesedi Jacobs, 8-6.
// NEXT UP
The ITA event brings an end to the fall schedule for the Bearcats. UC will open their spring dual schedule in January. A full schedule will be released in November.
2017 ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships
Murfreesboro, Tenn. • October 12-16
Main Draw Singles
Emma Miceli
First Round - Miceli def. Anastasia Vasiukhina (Miami OH), 6-1, 6-0
Second Round - Miceli def. #17 Abbie Phaz (Louisville), 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1
Third Round - #15 Sylvia Ambrosio (Purdue) def. Miceli, 6-4, 6-1
Caroline Morton
First Round - Tenika McGiffin (Tennessee) def. Morton, 7-6(0), 6-4
Consolation - Joey Cao (Memphis) def. Morton, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7
Ioana Guna
First Round - Guna def. Sydney Patton (UT Chattanooga), W/D (injury)
Second Round - Guna def. #17 Elpida Malamou (Western Kentucky), 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5
Third Round - #8 Sadie Hammond (Tennessee) def. Guna, 7-5, 6-0
Antonella Bramato
First Round - #17 Johanna Silva (Tennessee) def. Bramato, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Consolation - Bramato def. Rachel Sutton (Butler), 7-5, 6-2
Anna Philp
First Round - Philp def. Delaney Edwards (UT Chattanooga), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Second Round - #17 Ena Babic (Purdue) def. Philp, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
#17 Alexia Coutino
First Round - Costanza Magazzini (Middle Tennessee) def. #17 Coutino, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Consolation - Maya Smith (Louisville) def. Coutino, 6-6 (4-2), retired
Main Draw Doubles
Antonella Bramato / Anna Philp
First Round - Bramato/Philp def. #9 Alex Sabe/Amina Mukhametshina (Purdue), 8-7(5)
Second Round - Bramato/Philp def. Emma Van Hee/Tamri Chalaganidze (UT Chattanooga), 8-5
Third Round - #1 Mami Adachi/Akvile Parazinskaite (Kentucky) def. Bramato/Philp, 8-5
Ioana Guna / Caroline Morton
First Round - Guna/Morton def. Caitlin Bernard/Xiwei Cai (Indiana), 8-2
Second Round - Guna/Morton def. #9 Emily Fanning/Isabel Iglesias Prieto (Kentucky), 8-7(1)
Third Round - #5 Sadie Hammond/Gabby Schuck (Tennessee) def. Guna/Morton, 8-4
Emma Miceli / Alexia Coutino
First Round - Miceli/Coutino def. Madison Riley/Luisa Pelayo (Wright State), 8-1
Second Round - Miceli/Coutino def. #9 Hanna Sohn/Laura Bente (Memphis), 8-6
Third Round - #3 Justina Mikulskyte/Lesedi Jacobs (Kentucky) def. Miceli/Coutino, 8-6
"Competing against the very best teams in the region, our quality of play was what I hoped it would be going in," Head Coach Eric Toth said. "We have played very good doubles all Fall and I am glad it carried over into this event. We earned victories over some really good programs and played very well even in defeat. Singles was much of the same. Ioana and Emma's efforts definitely stand out, but we had other opportunities to advance in the draw where we just came up a little short. I am happy where our team is at as we exit Fall competition. We have gotten in a lot of match play in a very short period of time. I feel our young players understand that you have to mentally and physically be at a high level every time you step on the court if you are going to get the job done on a particular day. We are poised to be successful when our season begins in January. We will have to respect every single opponent we take the court against. No one should scare us too much either. It promises to be an exciting 2018 season for this group."
// SINGLES RECAP
Newcomers Emma Miceli and Ioana Guna continued to impress as the both advanced to the third round of the main draw with a pair of wins in the early stages before suffering defeat. Miceli opened her tournament with a near perfect 6-1, 6-0 victory over Miami (Ohio) player Anastasia Vasiukhina. She then met #17 seed Abbie Phaz of Louisville and upset the Cardinal in three sets, 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1. One match later, Miceli was eliminated from the tournament as she dropped a 6-4, 6-1 score to #15 Sylvia Amrosio of Purdue.
Guna had a similar path to Miceli as she won her first two matches before falling in the third round. After advancing from the first round via an injury withdraw of her opponent Sydney Patton (Chattanooga), Guna came back after dropping the first set to #17 Elpida Malamou of Western Kentucky to win, 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5. In the third round, Guna fell to #8 Sadie Hammond of Tennessee, 7-5, 6-0.
Two other Bearcats each won once before falling from the bracket, including Antonella Bramato and Anna Philp. Philp was the lone Bearcats player to win her opening match as she downed Delaney Edwards of Chattanooga, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. She would then face #17 Ena Babic of Purdue, where she dropped a three-set match, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5. Bramato fell in her opening match of the main draw before rebounding to win a consolation match the next day as she battled #17 Johanna Silva of Tennessee through three sets before falling, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. She then defeated Rachel Sutton of Butler, 7-5, 6-2.
Caroline Morton and Alexia Coutino also competed in the main draw with both women falling in their opening round matches. Coutino dropped a three-set match with Costanza Magazzini of MTSU, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, before seeing her singles action end in the consolation round after she retired from a match with Maya Smith of Louisville. Morton opened with a 7-6(0), 6-4 loss to Tenika McGiffin of Tennessee before falling in a 6-4, 5-7, 10-7, match to Joey Cao of Memphis.
// DOUBLES RECAP
All three doubles teams entered the main draw competition with each of the Bearcats duos reaching the third round of the event as each also downed a #9 seeded team along the way. Bramato and Philip teamed together and faced the #9 team of Alex Sabe and Amina Mukhametshina from Purdue and downed the duo 8-7(5) to advance to the second round. After defeating the Chattanooga team of Emma Van Hee and Tamri Chalaganidze, 8-5, Bramato and Philp faced the #1 seeded team of Mami Adachi and Akvile Parazinskaite of Kentucky, falling to the Wildcats duo, 8-5.
Guna and Morton opened their day with a convincing 8-2 victory over Indiana's team of Caitlin Bernard and Xiwei Cai in the first round before upsetting the #9 seed UK duo of Emily Fanning and Isabel Iglesias Prieto, 8-7(1). In the third round, the Bearcats fell to Tennessee's #5 seed Sadie Hammond and Gabby Schuck, 8-4.
The final duo to play was Miceli and Coutino, who also posted a 2-1 record. The Bearcats opened with an impressive 8-1 victory over Wright State's team of Madison Riley and Luisa Pelayo. Then, in a conference showdown, the UC duo faced #9 seeded Hanna Sohn and Laura Bente of Memphis, defeating the Tigers' team, 8-6. In the third round, Miceli and Coutino fell to the #3 seeded UK team of Justina Mikulskyte and Lesedi Jacobs, 8-6.
// NEXT UP
The ITA event brings an end to the fall schedule for the Bearcats. UC will open their spring dual schedule in January. A full schedule will be released in November.
2017 ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships
Murfreesboro, Tenn. • October 12-16
Main Draw Singles
Emma Miceli
First Round - Miceli def. Anastasia Vasiukhina (Miami OH), 6-1, 6-0
Second Round - Miceli def. #17 Abbie Phaz (Louisville), 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1
Third Round - #15 Sylvia Ambrosio (Purdue) def. Miceli, 6-4, 6-1
Caroline Morton
First Round - Tenika McGiffin (Tennessee) def. Morton, 7-6(0), 6-4
Consolation - Joey Cao (Memphis) def. Morton, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7
Ioana Guna
First Round - Guna def. Sydney Patton (UT Chattanooga), W/D (injury)
Second Round - Guna def. #17 Elpida Malamou (Western Kentucky), 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-5
Third Round - #8 Sadie Hammond (Tennessee) def. Guna, 7-5, 6-0
Antonella Bramato
First Round - #17 Johanna Silva (Tennessee) def. Bramato, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Consolation - Bramato def. Rachel Sutton (Butler), 7-5, 6-2
Anna Philp
First Round - Philp def. Delaney Edwards (UT Chattanooga), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Second Round - #17 Ena Babic (Purdue) def. Philp, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
#17 Alexia Coutino
First Round - Costanza Magazzini (Middle Tennessee) def. #17 Coutino, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Consolation - Maya Smith (Louisville) def. Coutino, 6-6 (4-2), retired
Main Draw Doubles
Antonella Bramato / Anna Philp
First Round - Bramato/Philp def. #9 Alex Sabe/Amina Mukhametshina (Purdue), 8-7(5)
Second Round - Bramato/Philp def. Emma Van Hee/Tamri Chalaganidze (UT Chattanooga), 8-5
Third Round - #1 Mami Adachi/Akvile Parazinskaite (Kentucky) def. Bramato/Philp, 8-5
Ioana Guna / Caroline Morton
First Round - Guna/Morton def. Caitlin Bernard/Xiwei Cai (Indiana), 8-2
Second Round - Guna/Morton def. #9 Emily Fanning/Isabel Iglesias Prieto (Kentucky), 8-7(1)
Third Round - #5 Sadie Hammond/Gabby Schuck (Tennessee) def. Guna/Morton, 8-4
Emma Miceli / Alexia Coutino
First Round - Miceli/Coutino def. Madison Riley/Luisa Pelayo (Wright State), 8-1
Second Round - Miceli/Coutino def. #9 Hanna Sohn/Laura Bente (Memphis), 8-6
Third Round - #3 Justina Mikulskyte/Lesedi Jacobs (Kentucky) def. Miceli/Coutino, 8-6