University of Florida freshman Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) and sophomore Allie Will (Boca Raton) won their respective singles matches during the first day of play at the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Columbia University serves as host of the event.
The Gator doubles team of Will and freshman Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) also won their first-round match. Florida’s 18th-ranked doubles team stunned Stanford’s top-seeded and third-ranked pair of Hilary Barte and Mallory Burdette, 9-7, in the first round to set-up and quarterfinal match-up against Tennessee’s Brynn Boren and Maria Sorbello on Friday. Thursday’s first-round victory was the Gator tandem’s eighth consecutive, as they hold an 8-1 record as a doubles pair this season.
“We beat one of the best doubles teams in the country today because we were smart and at times had courage in our play calling,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “I was very, very pleased.”
Cercone received a wildcard into the 32-player tournament based on her outstanding Fall results and didn’t disappoint, as she knocked off Columbia’s 120th-ranked Nicole Bartnik, 6-2, 6-2 to set up a round of 16 date against second-seeded and top-ranked Jana Juricova of Cal on Friday morning.
Cercone has compiled an impressive 12-4 singles record, including a 7-1 record against nationally-ranked opponents.
“Alex did a good job of coming to the net like she’s been working on in practice,” Thornqvist said. “Her returns were better than they had been leading into the tournament and she did really well.”
Will, who earned a spot in both the singles and doubles draws and was awarded an automatic and the No. 6 seed in the 32-player singles draw, capped UF’s successful opening day with a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over UNLV’s Lucia Batta in the first round. Will is 7-1 this season, sporting a 55-6 career singles mark, and has won sevent consecutive matches entering the second round meeting against Northwestern’s Maria Mosolova.
“Allie played very well in the first set, then backed off in the second set,” Thornqvist said. “She showed that she’s really tough at the end of a match. She was down 4-3 in the third and reeled off three straight games. With Allie, you know you’re never out of a match.”
Freshman Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla) dropped her opening-round match 6-3, 6-3 to Pennsylvania’s Connie Hsu, who is ranked as the nation’s fourth-ranked freshman in the ITA Singles Rankings. The Gator rookie, who had her six-match win streak snapped Thursday, turns her attention to consolation play, where she will face Alabama’s Mary Anne Macfarlane in the round of 16 on Friday.
“Olivia may have been playing the best of everyone on the team leading into this tournament, but today did not play her best,” Thornqvist. “The good thing is that she gets to play again tomorrow and that’s a exactly what she needs – more matches under her belt in an environment like this.”
USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships
Hosted by Columbia University
USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Flushing, NY
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Singles, First Round (Rnd of 32)
(5) Allie Will d. Lucia Batta, UNLV, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Connie Hsu, Penn d. Olivia Janowicz, UF 6-3, 6-3
Alex Cercone, UF d. (120) Nicole Bartnik, Columbia, 6-2, 6-2
Doubles, First Round (Rnd of 16)
(18) Sofie Oyen/Allie Will, UF d. (1) Hilary Barte/Mallory Burdette, Stanford, 9-7
Remaining Schedule of Events
Friday, November 5th - 9 a.m.
Men's & Women's Doubles Quarterfinals
Men's & Women's Singles Consolation
Men's & Women's Singles Quarterfinals
Men's & Women's Singles Consolation Quarterfinals
Saturday, November 6th - 9 a.m.
Men's & Women's Doubles Semifinals
Men's & Women's Singles Semifinals
Men's & Women's Singles Consolation Semifinals
Sunday, November 7th - 10 a.m.
Men's & Women's Doubles Finals
Men's & Women's Consolation Finals
Men's & Women's Singles Finals
