Fall action rolls on.
This past weekend was a busy one for Northwestern tennis, as both the men’s and women’s teams competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Championships as their respective seasons get underway. The four-day tournaments lasted from Oct. 10-14 and was hosted by Michigan State in East Lansing for the men, and by Ohio State in Columbus for the women.
Alongside 59 others from around the NCAA, Northwestern men’s tennis placed four athletes in the qualifying round, with two others — upperclassmen Saiprakash Goli and Felix Nordby — received automatic spots in the main draw. First-year Vincent Yang kicked off his Wildcat career nicely, facing off against Youngstown State’s Filip Avdeev, defeating him in three sets (7-5, 6(5)-7, 6-3) to grab his first collegiate victory. Sophomore Greyson Casey kept the good times rolling with a dominant performance against Marquette’s Cyrus Ahmad, winning in just two sets (6-2, 7-5) to get to the Round of 32. Carter Pate and Jackson Caldwell kept the ‘Cats undefeated through round one, winning their matches in just two sets against Dimitri Moriarty (6-3, 6-0) and Angus Howard (6-4, 7-6(2)), respectively.
The next round of qualifiers wasn’t as kind to the ‘Cats, with Yang losing 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 to Wisconsin’s Patrik Meszaros and Caldwell bowing out following a defeat to UIC’s Artem Alekseychuk (7-6(4), 6-2). Pate and Casey stayed alive, though. Pate won via a three-set thriller over Wisconsin’s Edouard Aubert (6(4)-7, 7-5, 7-5), while Casey cruised to a two-set victory over Matej Kajzer of Western Michigan (6-2, 6-3).
Advancing to the main draw, Pate would at last encounter defeat against Michigan’s Nicholas Steiglehner, losing two straight sets 6-3, 6-2. Casey too would fall to a Michigan foe, losing to No. 2 seed Gavin Young by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The upperclassmen kept hope alive for NU, though, with Goli defeating MSU’s Josh Portnoy (6-4, 6-3), and Nordby defeating Benjamin Kittay after he was forced to retire from a mid-match injury. The end of the road came all too quick for the ‘Cats however, with Goli and Nordby falling in two sets, ending the singles tournament for men’s tennis.
In doubles, Nordby and Yang paired up and advanced all the way to the Round of 16 after receiving a bye and subsequently winning their first match 8-5. Heartbreaking defeat arrived yet again, as the ‘Cats fell to in-state rivals Illinois (8-7(4)), led by William Mroz and Gabrielius Guzauskas.
Meanwhile, women’s tennis also saw four players in qualifiers and six others who advanced to the main draw. In singles qualifying, Autumn Rabjohns, Maia Loureiro and Jennifer Riester all dominated, winning their respective matches to advance to the main draws, while Katya Shepherd was the lone loss, falling to Illinois State’s Silvia Pomarolli in two sets (6-3, 6-2).
The women’s squad stayed relatively hot in the main draw, as seven of nine Northwestern competitors won their opening match, with only Riester and Mika Dagan Fruchtman losing their matches. Headlining the opening round were wins by sisters Kiley and Autumn Rabjohns, who both beat Notre Dame competitors to advance.
Numbers thinned in round two for the women, with only sophomore Erica Jessel and graduate student Britany Lau advancing; Jessel handled Wisconsin’s Tianna Rangan with ease, winning 6-3, 6-1, while Lau went back and forth with fellow Madison product Alina Mukhortova, finally snagging the win after three hard-fought sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-4).
After getting all the way to the Round of 16, Jessel and Lau were ousted, both losing in two sets to Michigan stars Julia Fliegner (6-2, 6-2) and Lily Jones (6-4, 6-2), respectively.
Hope rose anew for women’s tennis in the doubles tournament, as Northwestern placed five teams looking for a path to the championship. The opening round had a lot of promise, with four of five teams winning, and the fifth — Feldman and Autumn Rabjohns — on a bye.
The Round of 32 saw defeats for Riester and Loureiro, Pratt and Jessel and Feldman and Rabjohns, but Shepherd and Kiley Rabjohns alongside Lau and Dagan Fruchtman kept the ‘Cats going with two nailbiting wins over Notre Dame and Ohio State duos, respectively, both by a score of 8(7)-7(5).
Both doubles would continue their hot streaks into the Round of 16, placing two teams in the quarterfinals. The road ended there for Shepherd and Rabjohns, as they lost 8-3; but Lau and Dagan Fruchtman kept the dream alive for yet another round, defeating Michigan’s Ava Bruno and Bayley Sheinin 8-3 before facing off against another Michigan duo in Reese Miller and Julia Fliegner with a chance at the championship match. The two sides duked it out until the final point, but Miller and Fliegner would ultimately come out on top, winning 6-4, 5-7, [10]-[5] in three sets.
Men’s tennis returns next to play in the Notre Dame Invite on Nov. 1, while women’s tennis will compete in the Green & White Championship starting Oct. 25 in East Lansing.