The University of Florida women’s tennis team capped an outstanding run at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional by crowning the singles and doubles champion, as the finalists for both events were members of the Gators’ 2010-11 squad.
Gator freshman Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) topped fellow classmate Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) 6-3, 7-5 to win her first collegiate singles title, while the pair of sophomore Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) and freshman Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) defeated junior Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) and Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium), 8-4 in the doubles championship.
"It was tough, because she is also my roommate and we do everything together. We have a lot of respect for each other, but I tried as hard as I could to separate the match with our friendship,” Janowicz shared. "I played pretty well today. The coaches have changed my game and taught me how to play with more patience. I think I am finally starting to work that into my game. I progressed with every match. I also played a teammate in the quarterfinals, so that was really hard too, but every match was better."
The collegiate doubles title was the first of the respective careers for Will and Oyen, as the Gator pair improved their record as a tandem to 7-1. Will, who withdrew in the quarterfinal round of the singles event, was last year’s ITA Southeast Regional singles champion.
"It's definitely different, because we all practice together every day and we all have a lot of respect for each other,” Will said of squaring off against teammates. “It was very difficult, but we just tried to make the most of it. All four us of us were incredibly nervous, but we just tried to play one point at a time. Today came down to just getting the ball in the court and moving our feet. I think we were so tight that we didn't move. Once we got that done, I think we just relaxed and talked between each point. We really started to play better as a team. It is our first year playing together and I think this tournament helped us find our chemistry."
“The beginning was really difficult because we were so nervous,” Oyen said. “We were down 4-1 and started playing better once we were less nervous. We just tried to slow it down and hit the ball and then it was 8-4."
“It was very high quality tennis in singles and doubles today,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “It was exciting to see that the tournament concluded with such high-level play all the way to the final. I’m really proud of our effort and the way we competed throughout the entire tournament.”
“The beginning was really difficult because we were so nervous,” Oyen said. “We were down 4-1 and started playing better once we were less nervous. We just tried to slow it down and hit the ball and then it was 8-4."
“It was very high quality tennis in singles and doubles today,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “It was exciting to see that the tournament concluded with such high-level play all the way to the final. I’m really proud of our effort and the way we competed throughout the entire tournament.”
The winners of both events earn the region’s qualifying spot in the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, which will be held Nov. 4-7 at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. This is the second of the individual national championships played during the collegiate season, with the third and final one being the NCAAs in May.
Gators not receiving a wildcard into the Indoor Championships will compete at home, Nov. 5-7, when the team plays host to the Gator Fall Classic. The three-day event features athletes from South Florida, FIU and Florida State. Singles and doubles draws will be released late Thursday. Action begins at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex on Friday at 3 p.m. Saturday’s play gets underway at 9 a.m., followed by Sunday’s matches that take place at 8 a.m. Admission is free to the entire tournament.
USTA/ITA Southeast Regional
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Singles, Final
Olivia Janowicz, UF d. Alex Cercone, UF, 6-3, 7-5
Doubles, Final
(18) Sofie Oyen/Allie Will, UF d. Joanna Mather/Carolina Hitimana, UF, 8-4
