University of Washington
ITA All-American Championships
Chan Drops Heartbreaker In All-American Semis
October 10, 2009 | Women's Tennis
Oct. 10, 2009
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - 16th-ranked Husky junior Venise Chan had her outstanding run at the ITA All-American Championships come up just short of the finals today at the Riviera Tennis Club. Chan nevertheless has further established herself as one of the top players in the country as the 2009-10 season unfolds.
Chan, the only unseeded player left in the semifinals, faced eighth-ranked Irina Falconi of Georgia Tech this morning. Falconi had lost just nine total games in her three previous wins, and only one out of six sets went past 6-2. Chan gave the Yellow Jacket sophomore a much tougher time, however, as the two fought to 5-5 in the first set before Falconi pulled out the final two games to go up a set.
Falconi looked to close the match out up 5-3 in the second set and had two match points, but Chan saved both and took the game, then overcame two more match points in the next game to tie it at 5-5. She took a 6-5 lead, but Falconi forced a tiebreak. The breaker was even at six points apiece, but Falconi grabbed the next two points to close out a 7-5, 7-6 (6) victory and advance to the finals.
"Venise played with a lot more confidence in her game this week," said head coach Jill Hultquist. "At NCAA's last year she was a little tentative, but this week she played a lot more offense and went for her shots. Today there were a couple big points she was a little tentative on and (Falconi) took advantage.
Hultquist added: "This is the top tournament outside of NCAA's and sends a statement that Venise is capable of really big things."
The All-American Championships are one of three individual national championships on the college tennis schedule, the others being the ITA National Indoor Championships and the NCAA Championships. The All-American attracts the largest field of the three, as hundreds of players compete in qualifying rounds to try and reach the main draw.
This was the best showing ever by a Husky woman in the All-American Championships, and the second-best result ever in any of the three "majors" behind only Kristina Kraszewski's runner-up finish at the National Indoor Championships in 2000.
A First Team All-Pac-10 selection in 2009 and a two-time NCAA Singles participant, Chan ousted 23rd-ranked Lenka Broosova of Baylor in the first round on Thursday, then knocked off defending champion and 7th-ranked Kelcy McKenna of Arizona State Friday morning, followed by a straight-set win over 18th-ranked Marina Cossou of California on Friday afternoon.
The next action for UW women's tennis will be at the St. Mary's Invitational in Moraga, Calif. starting next Friday, Oct. 16.
Washington Women's Tennis
Riviera/ITA All-American Championships
10/10/09 - Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Riviera Tennis Club
Main Draw Singles
Semifinals
