Florida’s Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) won their respective first round singles matches on the opening day of play at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships held at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Thursday.
After stubbing their toe on the doubles court to begin the day, Embree and Mather recovered and gutted out three-setters on the singles court, with Mather’s match lasting more than three hours.
“We really were tough in the third set of our singles matches today,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We didn’t necessarily play our best, but stepped up at crucial points and showed our toughness. I think Joanna down love-30 in every game except one in the third set and showed some mental fortitude to get through it.
“In doubles we got off to another slow start and it cost us,” Thornqvist continued. “We stood and watched the other team hit and move. We played a good Tennessee team and they took advantage of us being on our heels. We have to be more aggressive versus good teams.”
The lone senior on Florida’s 2011-12 roster, Mather rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third set against Tulsa’s Sam Vickers and forced a tiebreaker, where she won the first four points and the last two en route to the 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) victory. Mather earned a second-round 12:30 p.m. match-up against Georgia’s third-seeded Chelsey Gullickson, who defeated Mather in straight sets two weeks ago at the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional held in Gainesville.
Embree also needed three frames to move into the round of 16, as she defeated Michigan’s Emina Bektas, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. The Gator junior, who is seeded 5-8 in the national event, faces SMU’s Marta Lesniak on Friday at 1 p.m.
“I thought I played ok. She’s a tough player,” Embree said of Bektas. “She has one of the biggest serves I have ever played against. It was tough to get a rhythm that was difficult.
“This is my first time here,” Embree said of the national tournament considered the second leg of the collegiate grand slam. “I did not come my freshman year and I was injured last year. This is a great tournament, great atmosphere, and the tournament is tough. Every round you play someone difficult.”
The Gator pair began the day on the doubles court, where Embree and Mather dropped an 8-3 decision to Tennessee’s Natalie Pluskota and Kata Szekely.
