Friday, September 16
Boston, MA
All Day
University of North Texas
vs
Boston Invitational
Photo by: Zach Del Bello
Women’s Tennis Starts Season Strong with Solid Showings at Milwaukee Tennis Classic/Boston Invite
9/18/2022 9:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
BOSTON/MILWAUKEE (Sept. 18, 2022) – The University of North Texas women's tennis team started the 2022-23 season in strong fashion over the weekend with solid showings from all seven players at both the ITA Milwaukee Tennis Classic (MTC) and the Boston Invitational.
The performances for the Mean Green were highlighted by a pair of strong performances by freshmen Olivia Halvorsen and Gloria Alogo Piqueras who both advanced to their respective bracket finals in Boston. Jasmine Adams, meanwhile, was a standout in Milwaukee, advancing to the quarterfinal with a win over a nationally ranked opponent before bowing out on day two.
Adams was competing in the invite only MTC for the second straight year and did not disappoint. The sophomore out of Chandlers Hill, Australia, started the competition Friday with a straight-set win over Miami of Ohio's Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek 7-6 [5], 7-5 to advance to the round of 16.
Just hours later, Adams picked up one of her biggest wins of her collegiate career thus far, knocking off #6-seeded Xinyu Cai in thrilling 6-2, 1-6, 10-4 three set fashion. Cai came into the contest ranked as the #117th ranked individual in Division I according to ITA.
Adams would go on to fall in the quarterfinals 6-1, 6-0 against #4-seed Naomi Cheong of USC 6-1, 6-0. Cheong, the #98 player in DI, would go on to advance to the title match.
Also in Milwaukee, Matilde Morais made her collegiate debut and dropped a pair of close matchups against quality competition. Morais fell 6-2, 6-3 against Liz Norman of Purdue and 7-5, 6-1 versus Navy's Emily Tannenbaum on the first day of competition, competing well in both matchups.
The duo of Morais and Adams also teamed up to play in the doubles portion of the competition, falling in their lone contest 6-3 against Portland's Zelic and Pethybridge who would go on to the doubles semifinal.
"It was tremendous experience for Jasmine and Matilde to compete at such an elite event with the best players in the nation," head coach Sujay Lama said. "Huge win for Jasmine over a seeded player which will surely boost to her confidence. I'm proud of our team for the way we competed and represented the Mean Green".
Over in Boston, Halvorsen was the headliner as she opened her college career with a bracket championship title.
Halvorsen started the tournament with a pair of victories on Friday, defeating Emmie Lindholm of Providence (6-2, 6-1) and Muskan Mahajan (Forfiet, Inj.) to advance to Saturday's semifinal. The freshman out of Milton, Ontario, Canada, would take down Kayla Leschly of Harvard in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) in the semis to move on to the title match.
In the championship, Halvorsen found herself down after the opening set and showed great resolve as she bounced back to win set two 6-1. Ultimately, her opponent Iveta Daujotaite of Harvard had to retire due to injury which gave Halvorsen the White Bracket title.
Alogo Piqueras, meanwhile, also was in the title match in her bracket (Crimson) in her collegiate debut with the Mean Green. On Friday, Alogo Piqueras took down Kaitlin Tan (7-5, 6-1) of Boston University and Sophia Ho (6-0, 2-6, 6-0) of Harvard to clinch a spot in the semifinal.
The semifinal for Alogo Piqueras was a back-and-forth battle, but the freshman out of Mallorca, Spain, was able to grab a 7-5, 6-4 straight sets win over Boston College's Laura Lopez to move into the championship bout.
The Crimson Bracket final, which was the main draw of the event, lived up to its billing as Alogo Piqueras and Charlotte Owensby of Harvard split the first two sets with identical 6-2 set scores. In the decisive third set, Owensby was able to ultimately pull out a 6-3 victory to take home the title over the freshman from UNT.
Three other UNT players also had solid performances in Boston as Kexuan Zhou, Olivia Malm and Sophia Hummel all won multiple matches on the weekend.
After opening the competition with a loss in her first matchup, Hummel was able to bounce back and win her next two contests in the tournament. On Saturday, Hummel took down Valentina Cvackova of URI 6-2, 6-3 to move into the Black Bracket Consolation championship where she defeated another URI opponent, Ava Grnja, 6-1, 6-1 to end the tournament on a high note.
For Zhou, the senior started the season with a straight sets win (6-4, 6-1) over Paulina Loredo of URI. After dropping her next two matches, Zhou finished the competition strong with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 trouncing of Vannelie Melendez of Providence in Sunday's consolation bracket.
Finally, Malm won her first matchup in a UNT uniform 6-1, 6-2 over Darah Ross of Providence Friday before dropping match number two. The Baylor transfer rebounded with another straight set win (6-2, 6-4) over Sophie Edwards of Boston College on Saturday.
Malm's contest on Sunday was a true thriller. After dropping the opening set 7-6 in a 7-4 tiebreaker, Malm grabbed a 6-4 win in set two to tie things up. In the decisive third set, Malm battled but was unable to complete the comeback as she fell 10-7.
In doubles play, the combination of Alogo Piqueras and Malm picked up a 6-1 win on day one. After falling in their second match, the duo picked up back-to-back wins to close out the competition, winning 7-6 [7-0] and 7-5 on the final two days of competition.
The other duo for the Mean Green was Hummel and Halvorsen who dropped the first contest 6-1 but came all the way through the consolation bracket with two wins on Saturday (6-2 & 6-0) to win the consolation title with a 7-5 win over Ho and Duncan of Harvard in the Pegula North Consolation final.
"It was a very positive tournament overall for us going 19-9 for the weekend," assistant coach Rodrigo de Almeida, who traveled to Boston with five of the seven players on the roster, said. "Big shout out to our freshman making the final of their main draws. Gloria Alogo played a tough three set match in the final and came up short at the end but has proven why she was so highly recruited. Olivia Halvorsen is coming back from an injury so for her to play at such high level was so exciting to see. Everyone played with so much heart and enthusiasm, and I'm so proud of them. We will take a day to recover well and but certainly feel well prepared going into our Texas Regionals"
Milwaukee Tennis Classic Results
Day One
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek, Miami (OH) (7-6 [5], 7-5)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. #6 Xinyu Cai, Wisconsin (6-2, 1-6, 10-4)
Liz Norman, Purdue def. Matilde Morais, UNT (2-6, 3-6)
Emily Tannenbaum, Navy def. Matilde Morais, UNT (5-7, 1-6)
Day Two
#4 Naomi Cheong, USC def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (6-1, 6-0)
Boston Invitational Results
Day One
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Paulina Loredo, URI (6-4, 6-1)
Erica Di Battista, Boston U def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (2-6, 6-4, 3-6)
Shelly Yaloz, Boston U def. Sophia Hummel, UNT (3-6, 6-3, 1-6)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Darah Ross, Providence (6-1, 6-2)
Michelle Kleynerman, Boston U def. Olivia Malm, UNT (3-6, 6-3, 4-6)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Kaitlin Tan, Boston U (7-5, 6-1)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Sophia Ho, Harvard (6-0, 2-6, 6-0)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Emmie Lindholm, Providence (6-2, 6-1)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Muskan Mahajan, BC (Forfeit, Inj.)
Loredo/Duncan, URI def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (6-2)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Melendez/Mulvey, Providence (6-1)
Day Two
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Valentina Cvackova, URI (6-2, 6-3)
Stephanie Sanchez, BC def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (6-7 [4-7], 1-6)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Laura Lopez, BC (7-5, 6-4)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Sophie Edwards, BC (6-2, 6-4)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Kayla Leschly, Harvard (6-4, 6-2)
You/Owensby, Harvard def. Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT (5-7)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Edwards/Agar, BC (7-6 [7-0])
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Rajan/Loredo, URI (6-2)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Ross/Migliorini, Providence (6-0)
Day Three
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Iveta Daujotaite, Harvard (5-7, 6-1, Inj.) (White East Final)
Charlotte Owensby, Harvard def. Gloria Alogo Piqueras (6-2, 2-6, 3-6) (Crimson East Final)
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Ava Grnja, URI (6-1, 6-1) (Black West Consolation Final)
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Vannelie Melendez, Providence (6-2, 6-0)
Sophia Ho, Harvard def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-7 [7-4], 6-4, 7-10)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Tan/Nguyen, Boston U (6-2) (Pegula West Consolation Final)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Ho/Duncan, Harvard (7-5) (Pegula North Consolation Final)
The performances for the Mean Green were highlighted by a pair of strong performances by freshmen Olivia Halvorsen and Gloria Alogo Piqueras who both advanced to their respective bracket finals in Boston. Jasmine Adams, meanwhile, was a standout in Milwaukee, advancing to the quarterfinal with a win over a nationally ranked opponent before bowing out on day two.
Adams was competing in the invite only MTC for the second straight year and did not disappoint. The sophomore out of Chandlers Hill, Australia, started the competition Friday with a straight-set win over Miami of Ohio's Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek 7-6 [5], 7-5 to advance to the round of 16.
Just hours later, Adams picked up one of her biggest wins of her collegiate career thus far, knocking off #6-seeded Xinyu Cai in thrilling 6-2, 1-6, 10-4 three set fashion. Cai came into the contest ranked as the #117th ranked individual in Division I according to ITA.
Adams would go on to fall in the quarterfinals 6-1, 6-0 against #4-seed Naomi Cheong of USC 6-1, 6-0. Cheong, the #98 player in DI, would go on to advance to the title match.
Also in Milwaukee, Matilde Morais made her collegiate debut and dropped a pair of close matchups against quality competition. Morais fell 6-2, 6-3 against Liz Norman of Purdue and 7-5, 6-1 versus Navy's Emily Tannenbaum on the first day of competition, competing well in both matchups.
The duo of Morais and Adams also teamed up to play in the doubles portion of the competition, falling in their lone contest 6-3 against Portland's Zelic and Pethybridge who would go on to the doubles semifinal.
"It was tremendous experience for Jasmine and Matilde to compete at such an elite event with the best players in the nation," head coach Sujay Lama said. "Huge win for Jasmine over a seeded player which will surely boost to her confidence. I'm proud of our team for the way we competed and represented the Mean Green".
Over in Boston, Halvorsen was the headliner as she opened her college career with a bracket championship title.
Halvorsen started the tournament with a pair of victories on Friday, defeating Emmie Lindholm of Providence (6-2, 6-1) and Muskan Mahajan (Forfiet, Inj.) to advance to Saturday's semifinal. The freshman out of Milton, Ontario, Canada, would take down Kayla Leschly of Harvard in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) in the semis to move on to the title match.
In the championship, Halvorsen found herself down after the opening set and showed great resolve as she bounced back to win set two 6-1. Ultimately, her opponent Iveta Daujotaite of Harvard had to retire due to injury which gave Halvorsen the White Bracket title.
Alogo Piqueras, meanwhile, also was in the title match in her bracket (Crimson) in her collegiate debut with the Mean Green. On Friday, Alogo Piqueras took down Kaitlin Tan (7-5, 6-1) of Boston University and Sophia Ho (6-0, 2-6, 6-0) of Harvard to clinch a spot in the semifinal.
The semifinal for Alogo Piqueras was a back-and-forth battle, but the freshman out of Mallorca, Spain, was able to grab a 7-5, 6-4 straight sets win over Boston College's Laura Lopez to move into the championship bout.
The Crimson Bracket final, which was the main draw of the event, lived up to its billing as Alogo Piqueras and Charlotte Owensby of Harvard split the first two sets with identical 6-2 set scores. In the decisive third set, Owensby was able to ultimately pull out a 6-3 victory to take home the title over the freshman from UNT.
Three other UNT players also had solid performances in Boston as Kexuan Zhou, Olivia Malm and Sophia Hummel all won multiple matches on the weekend.
After opening the competition with a loss in her first matchup, Hummel was able to bounce back and win her next two contests in the tournament. On Saturday, Hummel took down Valentina Cvackova of URI 6-2, 6-3 to move into the Black Bracket Consolation championship where she defeated another URI opponent, Ava Grnja, 6-1, 6-1 to end the tournament on a high note.
For Zhou, the senior started the season with a straight sets win (6-4, 6-1) over Paulina Loredo of URI. After dropping her next two matches, Zhou finished the competition strong with a convincing 6-2, 6-0 trouncing of Vannelie Melendez of Providence in Sunday's consolation bracket.
Finally, Malm won her first matchup in a UNT uniform 6-1, 6-2 over Darah Ross of Providence Friday before dropping match number two. The Baylor transfer rebounded with another straight set win (6-2, 6-4) over Sophie Edwards of Boston College on Saturday.
Malm's contest on Sunday was a true thriller. After dropping the opening set 7-6 in a 7-4 tiebreaker, Malm grabbed a 6-4 win in set two to tie things up. In the decisive third set, Malm battled but was unable to complete the comeback as she fell 10-7.
In doubles play, the combination of Alogo Piqueras and Malm picked up a 6-1 win on day one. After falling in their second match, the duo picked up back-to-back wins to close out the competition, winning 7-6 [7-0] and 7-5 on the final two days of competition.
The other duo for the Mean Green was Hummel and Halvorsen who dropped the first contest 6-1 but came all the way through the consolation bracket with two wins on Saturday (6-2 & 6-0) to win the consolation title with a 7-5 win over Ho and Duncan of Harvard in the Pegula North Consolation final.
"It was a very positive tournament overall for us going 19-9 for the weekend," assistant coach Rodrigo de Almeida, who traveled to Boston with five of the seven players on the roster, said. "Big shout out to our freshman making the final of their main draws. Gloria Alogo played a tough three set match in the final and came up short at the end but has proven why she was so highly recruited. Olivia Halvorsen is coming back from an injury so for her to play at such high level was so exciting to see. Everyone played with so much heart and enthusiasm, and I'm so proud of them. We will take a day to recover well and but certainly feel well prepared going into our Texas Regionals"
Milwaukee Tennis Classic Results
Day One
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek, Miami (OH) (7-6 [5], 7-5)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. #6 Xinyu Cai, Wisconsin (6-2, 1-6, 10-4)
Liz Norman, Purdue def. Matilde Morais, UNT (2-6, 3-6)
Emily Tannenbaum, Navy def. Matilde Morais, UNT (5-7, 1-6)
Day Two
#4 Naomi Cheong, USC def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (6-1, 6-0)
Boston Invitational Results
Day One
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Paulina Loredo, URI (6-4, 6-1)
Erica Di Battista, Boston U def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (2-6, 6-4, 3-6)
Shelly Yaloz, Boston U def. Sophia Hummel, UNT (3-6, 6-3, 1-6)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Darah Ross, Providence (6-1, 6-2)
Michelle Kleynerman, Boston U def. Olivia Malm, UNT (3-6, 6-3, 4-6)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Kaitlin Tan, Boston U (7-5, 6-1)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Sophia Ho, Harvard (6-0, 2-6, 6-0)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Emmie Lindholm, Providence (6-2, 6-1)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Muskan Mahajan, BC (Forfeit, Inj.)
Loredo/Duncan, URI def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (6-2)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Melendez/Mulvey, Providence (6-1)
Day Two
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Valentina Cvackova, URI (6-2, 6-3)
Stephanie Sanchez, BC def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (6-7 [4-7], 1-6)
Gloria Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Laura Lopez, BC (7-5, 6-4)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Sophie Edwards, BC (6-2, 6-4)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Kayla Leschly, Harvard (6-4, 6-2)
You/Owensby, Harvard def. Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT (5-7)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Edwards/Agar, BC (7-6 [7-0])
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Rajan/Loredo, URI (6-2)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Ross/Migliorini, Providence (6-0)
Day Three
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Iveta Daujotaite, Harvard (5-7, 6-1, Inj.) (White East Final)
Charlotte Owensby, Harvard def. Gloria Alogo Piqueras (6-2, 2-6, 3-6) (Crimson East Final)
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Ava Grnja, URI (6-1, 6-1) (Black West Consolation Final)
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Vannelie Melendez, Providence (6-2, 6-0)
Sophia Ho, Harvard def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-7 [7-4], 6-4, 7-10)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Tan/Nguyen, Boston U (6-2) (Pegula West Consolation Final)
Malm/Alogo Piqueras, UNT def. Ho/Duncan, Harvard (7-5) (Pegula North Consolation Final)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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