University of Washington
Husky Invitational
Women's Tennis Rolls On Day One Of Husky Invitational
November 09, 2007 | Women's Tennis
Nov. 9, 2007
SEATTLE - The Husky women's tennis team proved to be impolite hosts on the first day of the Husky Invitational at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. UW singles and doubles players went a combined 16-1 against several northwest foes.
The tournament marks the home debut for the 2007-08 incarnation of the Huskies, and they could have barely asked for a better home opening. Washington was 12-0 in singles play, and Huskies represent eight of the 12 singles semifinalists for Saturday.
"It was a great day for the Huskies," said third-year Head Coach Jill Hultquist. "We're looking forward to seeing some of our women face off on Saturday. They'd certainly rather be playing each other than sitting and watching each other."
Senior Tara Simpson started the singles run off for the Dawgs with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Portland's Lindsey Griffin in the top singles flight. Simpson then turned in the day's grittiest performance, outlasting Pichittra Thorndach of Boise State in a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 quarterfinal match. Thorndach was considered the tournament's overall top seed.
First-year Assistant Coach Damon Coupe came away from Simpson's match full of admiration.
"Tara played incredible," said Coupe. "She went all-out and battled a very good player. In the second set, Thorndach just did not miss, and Tara could have folded in the third set, but instead she came back and showed true heart and got the win."
For her efforts, Simpson will play fellow co-captain and doubles partner Joyce Ardies in the semifinals. Ardies received a first round bye, then cruised past Molly Knox of Portland State, 6-2, 6-0. Freshman Venise Chan also reached the semis on the other half of the top draw, outlasting Boise State's Klaudia Wlodarczyk, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the first home match for the talented freshman.
In the second singles flight, three more Huskies earned semifinal bids with dominant performances. Sophomore Aleksandra Malovic and junior Melinda Wong won two matches each, both in straight-sets. Opposing Malovic will be UW's other Aleksandra, freshman Aleksandra Krsljanin, who carried the momentum of a 6-0 third-set victory in the first round on into a 6-1, 6-0 quarterfinal win over Portland's Audree Jenks. Wong will meet BSU's Stacey Housley, who dropped just two games over two matches today.
The smaller third singles flight consists of just eight players, but was the sight of two more Husky victories. Sophomore Lauren Summers topped Portland State's Kimberly Knight, 6-1, 6-0, and freshman Ashley Anderson fought off Portland's Nicole Fleckenstein, 6-3, 7-6. Both Summers and Anderson hail from Edmonds, Wash., though Summers is a Meadowdale HS grad while Anderson played at Kamiak HS.
In doubles play, the Huskies again rose above the competition. Three UW tandems reached the Flight 1 semifinals, highlighted by Ardies and Simpson, the tourney's top-seed, who ousted Portland's Gullickson and Jenks, 8-3. Ardies and Simpson are fresh off taking the doubles title at last weekend's SDSU Fall Classic #2. The third all-UW semifinal will occur in the bottom half of the Flight 1 draw, as the teams of Wong and Krsljanin, and Chan and Malovic will face off after both advanced.
The lone Husky defeat came in the second doubles flight, where Summers and Anderson came up short to Portland's Tanzer and Doolittle, 8-6.
Semifinal matches plus consolation back draws will continue Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. and running continuously throughout the day. The Husky Invitational concludes Sunday.
Washington Women's Tennis
Husky Invitational - Nov. 9, 2007
Seattle, Wash. - Nordstrom Tennis Center
UW Results (Players not listed in early rounds received byes)
Singles
Flight 1 - First Round
Tara Simpson (UW) def. Lindsey Griffin (UP), 6-1, 6-0
Flight 1 - Quarterfinals
Tara Simpson (UW) def. Pichittra Thorndach (BSU), 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
Joyce Ardies (UW) def. Molly Knox (PSU), 6-2, 6-0
Venise Chan (UW) def. Klaudia Wlodarczyk (BSU), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
Flight 2 - First Round
Aleksandra Malovic (UW) def. Stefanie Doolittle (UP), 6-1, 6-1
Aleksandra Krsljanin (UW) def. Rachel Berger (EWU), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
Melinda Wong (UW) def. Marie Demerath (EWU), 6-4, 6-2
Flight 2 - Quarterfinals
Aleksandra Malovic (UW) def. Stephanie Fuchs (PSU), 6-4, 6-1
Aleksandra Krsljanin (UW) def. Audree Jenks (UP), 6-1, 6-0
Melinda Wong (UW) def. Anna Gullickson (UP), 6-0, 6-2
Flight 3 - Quarterfinals
Lauren Summers (UW) def. Kimberly Knight (PSU), 6-0, 6-1
Ashley Anderson (UW) def. Nicole Fleckenstein (UP), 6-3, 7-6
Doubles
Flight 1 - First Round
Chan/Malovic (UW) def. Knox/Mankovitz (EWU), 8-2
Flight 1 - Quarterfinals
Ardies/Simpson (UW) def. Gullickson/Jenks (UP), 8-3
Wong/Krsljanin (UW) def. Sporndli/Griffin (UP), 9-8 (3)
Chan/Malovic (UW) def. Housley/Thorndach (BSU), 8-2
Flight 2 - Semifinals
Tanzer/Doolittle (UP) def. Summers/Anderson (UW), 8-6
