ORLANDO, Fla. – The top-seeded VCU Rams survived a furious comeback attempt by the ninth-seeded Saint Louis Billikens to earn a 4-3 victory, while the fourth-seeded Spiders captured a 4-1 victory against No. 5 George Washington in Friday's Atlantic 10 Women's Tennis Championship quarterfinals at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.
MATCH #6
#1 VCU def. #9 SAINT LOUIS, 4-3
Bolstered by a clutch performance in singles play by Gabriela Davidescu, No. 1 overall VCU escaped a competitive quarterfinals clash with ninth-seeded Saint Louis. The Rams initially won the doubles point with relative ease, as Victoria Smirnova and Victoria Matasova claimed the No. 1 court 6-1 before Anja Draskovic and Davidescu clinched the point on court three off a 6-4 win. VCU also scored the opening salvo of singles victories as well, as Emma Valletta and Matasova posted wins on courts six and three, respectively, but SLU rallied on courts two, five and one off the efforts of Norhan Hesham, Mya Spencer and Elizabeth Mintusova. With the match knotted 3-3, the final decision came down the fourth flight between Davidescu and the Billikens' Kseniia Aleshina, with the former claiming victory behind a dramatic 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4) line.
SINGLES
1. Elizabeth Mintusova (SLU) def. Victoria Smirnova (VCU) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
2. Norhan Hesham (SLU) def. Yelizaveta Karlova (VCU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Victoria Matasova (VCU) def. Fiorella Duran (SLU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Gabriela Davidescu (VCU) def. Kseniia Aleshina (SLU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
5. Mya Spencer (SLU) def. Anja Drasovic (VCU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Emma Valletta (VCU) def. Sandra Gines (SLU) 6-3, 6-0
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 2, 5, 1, 4
DOUBLES
1. Victoria Smirnova/Victoria Matasova (VCU) def. Fiorella Duran/Norhan Hesham (SLU) 6-1
2. Elizabeth Mintusova/Kseniia Aleshina (SLU) def. Yelizaveta Karlova/Emma Valletta (VCU) 6-2
3. Anja Draskovic/Gabriela Davidescu (VCU) def. Sandra Gines/Mya Spencer (SLU) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
MATCH #7
#4 RICHMOND def. #5 GEORGE WASHINGTON, 4-1
The fourth-seeded Spiders handled business in their quarterfinals clash with No. 5 overall George Washington, initially grabbing the doubles point before locking down wins in three singles contests. The No. 2 and No. 3 courts in doubles play both went to Richmond relatively quickly, as the partnership of Claire Le Du and Marta Buendia garnered a 6-1 victory early on before Lara Bakhaya and Elizabeth Novak closed ou the point with a 6-4 victory of their own. In singles action, Polina Shitikova and Le Du kept the momentum with the Spiders on courts six and five, respectively, as Richmond surged to a 3-0 advantage, but GW's Stella Weisemann battled back in the top flight with a 7-5, 7-5 win. Andrea Campodonico secured the eventual win soon after for the Spiders, notching a 7-6 (0), 6-2 win on court three.
SINGLES
1. Stella Weisemann (GW) def. Leonor Oliveira (UR) 7-5, 7-5
2. Gabriela Giraldo (GW) vs. Carly Cohen (UR) 6-3, 5-5, DNF
3. Andrea Campodonico (UR) def. Alejandra Ramirez (GW) 7-6(0), 6-2
4. Elizabeth Novak (UR) vs. Sarah Bodewes (GW) 6-1, 1-6, 4-2, DNF
5. Claire Le Du (UR) def. Lindsay Thompson (GW) 7-5, 6-3
6. Polina Shitikova (UR) def. Charlotte Bell (GW) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1, 3
DOUBLES
1. Andrea Campodonico/Polina Shitikova (UR) vs. Stella Wiesemann/Gabriela Giraldo (GW) 5-4, DNF
2. Claire Le Du/Marta Buendia (UR) def. Charlotte Bell/Alejandra Ramirez (GW) 6-1
3. Lara Bakhaya/Elizabeth Novak (UR) def. Sarah Bodewes/Lindsay Thompson (GW) 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3