Successful First Day For ISU at MVC Individual Championship

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The first day of the 2023 MVC Individual Championship was a good one for Illinois State, as the Redbirds won four of their six singles matches and a pair of doubles matches on Friday at the Cooper Tennis Complex.

"I thought we did a good job in singles for the most part," ISU head coach Maja Kovacek said. "At times we weren't playing our best, but we played the big points well and got those to two set wins."

In singles action the Redbirds advanced in Flights 1-3 with victories from Tijana Zlatanovic, Nevena Kolarevic and Lana Caculovic. In Flight 1, Zlatanovic defeated Valeria Chaikovskaia of Murray State by a score of 6-1, 6-4 to move into the semifinals on Saturday against Belmont's Mariia Hlahola. In Flight 2, last year's Flight 3 champion Nevena Kolarevic picked up a hard-fought win over UIC's Tamara Malazonia 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 to move on to face Vesa Gjinaj of Belmont in the semifinals. 

Caculovic continued her strong start to the season with a quick 6-3, 6-0 win over Missouri State's Juliette Robinson to advance to Saturday's contest against Maria Bezmenova of Bradley. The final singles win of the day came from Nuria Sanz in Flight 5, as she defeated Mariia Pukhina of Bradley by a score of 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) to punch her ticket to the semifinals against Annika Pschorr of Murray State.

In doubles play, Kolarevic and Silvia Pomarolli defeated Muehlbauer and Lukacova of Missouri State by a score of 8-3 to move on in Flight 2. The duo of Sanz and Sofia Rodrigo also picked up a doubles win in Flight 3, winning their play-in match against Sudsaard and Sullivan of UNI, 8-3, but dropped their second match of the day to Honore and Campigotto of Murray State in their second contest of the day.

Day two of the MVC Individual Championship begins at 9 a.m. Saturday morning with doubles once again, followed by singles in the afternoon.

RESULTS:

Flight 1 Singles:
Tijana Zlatanovic (ILS) def. Valeria Chaikovskaia (MUR) 6-1, 6-4

Flight 2 Singles:
Nevena Kolarevic (ILS) def. Tamara Malazonia (UIC) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3

Flight 3 Singles:
Lana Caculovic (ISU) def. Juliette Robinson (MOST) 6-3, 6-0

Flight 4 Singles: 
Kirstin Hailey (BRAD) def. Silvia Pomarolli (ISU) 6-4, 6-4

Flight 5 Singles:
Nuria Sanz (ISU) def. Mariia Pukhina (BRAD) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)

Flight 6 Singles:
Jolene Fernandes (VU) def. Sofia Rodrigo (ILS) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3

Flight 1 Doubles:
Gustafsson/Ushio (UIC) def. Zlatanovic/Caculovic (ILS) 8-6

Flight 2 Doubles:
Kolarevic/Pomarolli (ISU) def. Muehlbauer/Lukacova (MOST) 8-3

Flight 3 Doubles:
Sanz/Rodrigo (ISU) def. Sudsaard/Sullivan (UNI) 8-3
Honore/Campigotto (MUR) def. Sanz/Rodrigo (ISU) 8-5

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