PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – All four members of the University of Florida women’s tennis team won their respective singles matches on the first day of play at the 2010 Riviera/ITA Women’s All American Championships Qualifying held at the Riviera Country Club on Tuesday.
Earning opening-round wins for the Gators were freshman Sofie Oyen, sophomore Caroline Hitimana, junior Joanna Mather and freshman Alex Cercone and each victory came against a nationally ranked opponent.
Cercone played her way through three matches of pre-qualifying to reach this stage of the national event and defeated Arizona’s 75th-ranked Sarah Landsman, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2. She will face Texas A&M’s 71st-ranked Morgan Frank in the second round.
Mather also won three rounds in the pre-qualifying draw and continued her impressive play with a 6-0, 6-2 upset against Notre Dame’s 42nd-ranked Shannon Mathews on Tuesday. Her draw doesn’t get any easier, as the Gator junior meets Duke’s 25th-ranked and fifth-seeded Reka Zsilinska of Duke next.
Hitimana rallied for a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory against Alabama’s 118th-ranked Alex Clay to set up a second-round date with Arizona State’s 32nd-ranked Micaela Hein.
Oyen lost her final round of pre-qualifying, but was granted another chance as a lucky loser and made the most of it, as the Gator rookie knocked off Pacific’s 60th-ranked Jennifer Widjaja, 6-3, 6-3. Oyen plays Texas’ 44th-ranked Krista Damico in the round of 32.
The 64-player event will get whittled to eight players who will continue action in the 32-player main draw that begins Thu., Oct. 7. The final two qualifying singles rounds will be played on Wed., Oct. 6 beginning at 10:45 a.m. PT.
Florida sophomore Allie Will, ranked a career-best No. 5 in the country, earned an automatic spot into the main draw, as did the Gator doubles teams of sophomore Lauren Embree and Mather and Oyen and Will.
2010 Riviera/ITA Women’s All American Championships Qualifying
Riviera Country Club * Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
UF Results Only
Singles, First Round (round of 64)
Sofie Oyen, UF d. (60) Jennifer Widjaja, Pacific, 6-3, 6-3
(98) Joanna Mather, UF d. (42) Shannon Mathews, Notre Dame, 6-0, 6-2
(77) Caroline Hitimana, UF d. (118) Alex Clay, Alabama, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
Alex Cercone, UF d. (75) Sarah Landsman, Arizona, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
Singles, Second Round (Round of 32) Match-ups
Sofie Oyen, UF vs. (44) Krista Damico, Texas
(98) Joanna Mather, UF vs. (25) Reka Zsilinska, Duke
(77) Caroline Hitimana, UF vs. (32) Micaela Hein, Arizona State
Alex Cercone, UF vs. (71) Morgan Frank, Texas A&M