Ohio State
USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships
Buckeyes Pick Up Wins on Opening Day of National Indoor Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Nov. 12, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the first day of action at the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, members of the Ohio State women’s tennis team picked up both singles and doubles wins. Freshman Francesca Di Lorenzo posted a straight-set victory in singles, while the doubles tandem of junior Miho Kowase and sophomore Anna Sanford won in straight sets in the first round before falling in a super tiebreaker to the tournament’s No. 3 seed in the Round of 16.
Friday in the Round of 16, Di Lorenzo will face No. 3 seed Hayley Carter of North Carolina at 9 a.m. Kowase and Sanford will take on Virginia’s preseason No. 13-ranked Julia Elbaba/Skylar Morton at 3pm in doubles consolation. The tournament, which runs through Sunday, is held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.
In the singles round of 32 Thursday, Di Lorenzo topped preseason No. 104-ranked Maiar Sherif Ahmed of Fresno State, 6-4, 6-1. In the first set, the Buckeye won the first three games before Ahmed won the next three to get back on serve. The two players each held the next four games before Di Lorenzo was able to break with Sherif serving at 4-5 to claim the set. In the second set, each player held in her first game. Di Lorenzo then went on a run, capturing each of the next five games, for the set and match win.
In the doubles first round, Kowase and Sanford topped Nevada’s Blaga Delic and Shelia Morales, 6-1, 6-4. The teams both held in their first games before the Buckeyes rattled off five games in a row to clinch the first set, 6-1. In the second, the teams again opened by holding before the Nevada duo won three straight games for a 4-2 lead. The Buckeyes overcame the deficit and did not drop another game, breaking to go up 5-4 and then holding at love for a 6-4 set win to claim the match.
In the second round, Kowase and Sanford dropped a close match to No. 3 seed and preseason No. 9-ranked Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi of Kentucky, 4-6, 6-3, 11-9. In the first set, Ohio State was up an early break (2-1) before back to back wins by Kentucky put the match on serve. Ohio State held for 3-all before three consecutive breaks, giving Ohio State the serve up 5-4. The Buckeyes held to claim the first set, 6-4. In the second, each team held its first game before the UK duo won three in a row for a 4-1 advantage. The teams each held the next three games and with Ohio State serving at 3-5, Kentucky broke to win the set 6-3 and send the match to a super tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was back and forth, with neither team able to get more than a two-point cushion. Ohio State tied the match at 8-all and 9-all but Kentucky held to go up 10-9 and then won the next point on the Buckeye serve to win the super tiebreaker 11-9 and the match.
Di Lorenzo, rated the top newcomer in collegiate tennis entering this season, received a USTA wildcard into the National Indoor Championships 32-player singles draw. Kowase and Sanford won the ITA Midwest Regional championship, the first regional title in program history, to earn their spot in the 20-team doubles draw.
ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships
USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Flushing, N.Y.
Ohio State results
Singles Round of 32
Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) def. Maiar Sherif Ahmed (Fresno State), 6-4, 6-1
Doubles Round of 32
Miho Kowase/Anna Sanford (OSU) def. Blaga Delic/Sheila Morales (Nevada), 6-1, 6-4
Doubles Round of 16
No. 3 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (Kentucky) def. Miho Kowase/Anna Sanford (OSU), 4-6, 6-3, 11-9
