Tennis Impressive In Home Invite

Friday, September 28

Boulder, Colo.

9 a.m.

Colorado

Day One

September 28, 2007 | Tennis

By: Andrew Green, Assistant SID

BOULDER ? The University of Colorado women's tennis team turned out an impressive showing in their first day of play of the CU Invitational featuring schools from Colorado State, Northern Colorado and Oklahoma at the South Campus Tennis Courts.

On Friday, the CU women won 11 of 14 singles matches and then went 2-1 on the doubles court.

However, two of those singles matches pitted CU athletes against one another.

In the singles main draw, sophomores Camilla Belassi and Melisa Esposito each won a pair of matches in their respective draw and advanced to the semifinals. Belassi defeated Tiffany Knop of Northern Colorado, 6-3, 6-0, then defeated freshman teammate Abbie Probert in the second round, 6-3, 6-4.

In the lower bracket, Esposito rallied in her opening round match to defeat Oklahoma's Tara Eckel in a third set tie-breaker, 1-6, 6-0, 7-6(2); then defeated junior teammate Franziska Jendrian in the second round, 6-1, 6-4.

Both Belassi and Esposito will play their semifinal match against Oklahoma players on Saturday at 9 a.m.

In other singles round-robin play, the Buffaloes also saw freshman Christian Pheil and senior Victoria Almagno reach the winners' circle twice.

Pheil defeated a pair of Northern Colorado players Luiza Xavier, 6-0, 6-0 and Natalia Agarycheva, 6-1, 6-4. Almagno also defeated a Lady Bear in her first match of the day, defeating Natalia Agarycheva, 6-2, 6-3; then in her second match edged Big 12 Conference foe Elena Antakova of Oklahoma, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

CU also saw strong play from Jendrian, Probert, and Gleisy Torres Torres. The trio will play in Saturday's consolation rounds going 1-1 on the day.

Friday's play started off a good note for Torres Torres, who celebrated her 21^st birthday teaming with Probert for a doubles win over Oklahoma's Chelsea Orr and Tara Eckel, 8-5. The other CU doubles win came from Almagno and Pheil, defeating Karen Groll and Tiffany Knop of Northern Colorado, 8-5.

Day two of the CU Invite begins at 9 a.m. with singles only. Sunday's final day will be reserved for doubles play and the singles main draw final.

Friday Doubles ? Rd 1

Gold Pool:Tabatha Knop/Santos (UNC) def. Strasburger/Tyler (CSU) 8-5;Constantinescu/Kalashnikova (OU) def. Esposito/Belassi (CU) 8-4.

Black Pool: Neal/Pohjalainen (CSU) def. Ciarvella/Agarycheva (UNC) 8-4; Probert/Torres Torres (CU) def. Orr/Eckel (OU) 8-5.

Silver Pool: Pheil/Almagno (CU) def. Groll/Tiffany Knop (UNC) 8-5; Baldy/Antakova (OU) def. Baxley/Cox (OU) 8-5

Friday ? Singles, Round 1, Results

Christiane Pheil (CU) def. Luiza Xavier (UNC) 6-0, 6-0

Tori Almagno (CU) def. Natalia Agarycheva (UNC) 6-2, 6-3

Rachael Cox (OU) def. Greer Satherlie (CSU) 6-1, 6-3

Elena Antakova (OU) def. Anette Pohjalainen (CSU) 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2

Jodi Ciarvella (UNC) def. Brittany Baldy (OU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Friday ? Singles, Round 2, Results