With straight-set singles victories, University of Florida junior Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) advanced to the semifinals of the Riviera/ITA All-American Tennis Championships held at the Riviera Tennis Club.
Paired with Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belguim), the duo rallied to an 8-5 victory to come back from a 5-2 lead by No.16 Sacramento State double Rebeca Delgado and Tatsiana Kapshai.
“We got off to a shaky start, but it was an all-world finish,” Gators head coach Roland Thornqvist said in praise of Oyen and Will’s comeback.
Oyen and Will face Kansas’ 33rd-ranked Ekaterina Morozova and Dylan Windom Saturday in the quaterfinals.
Will continued to impress in the singles play by posting a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Ole Miss’ Kristi Boxx, who defeated Will in the first round main draw last year. Will finished the day with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Duke’s top-ranked freshman Beatrice Capra.
The second-ranked Will faces UCLA’s Robin Anderson on Saturday at noon PT. In the other semifinal match will be Arizona State’s 11th-ranked Jacqueline Cako, who defeated UF senior Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) in earlier play, and Kansas State’s Petra Niedermayerova, who kept UF’s Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) from advancing on Friday with a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Mather, in consolation play, upset Virginia’s Lindsey Hardenbergh with a 7-5, 6-4 win after advancing due to a withdrawal by Baylor’s Nina Secerbegovic due to an injury. Mather will continue consolation play against Miami’s 25th-ranked Anna Bartenstein on Saturday at noon PST.
Embree and Mather team up for the quarterfinals of consolation doubles against Georgia Tech’s sixth-ranked duo Caroline Lilley and Jillian O’Neill on Saturday at 3 p.m. PT.
2011 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships
Riviera Tennis Club
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Singles, Third Round (Quarterfinals)
(2) Allie Will (UF) vs. Beatrice Capra (Duke) 6-2, 6-4
Singles, Second Round (Round of 16)
(35) Petra Niedermayerova (Kansas State) d. (5) Lauren Embree (UF) 6-1, 6-4
(2) Allie Will (UF) d. (22) Kristi Boxx (Ole Miss), 6-3, 6-4
Consolation Singles, Third Round (Quarterfinals)
(26) Joanna Mather, UF d. (18) Lindsey Hardenbergh (Virginia) 7-5, 6-4
Consolation Singles, Second Round (Quarterfinals)
(26) Joanna Mather (UF) advances over (23) Nina Secerbegovic (Baylor) – withdrew (injury)
Doubles, Second Round (Round of 16)
(4) Sofie Oyen/Allie Will (UF) d. (16) Delgado/Kapshai (Sacramento State), 8-5
Gator Country reporter Sara Ladwig can be reached at sladwig@gatorcountry.com