EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Fighting Illini have concluded play at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, highlighted by Louise Kwong and Ines Vias advancing to the semifinals of the doubles draw.
Kwong and Vias became the third doubles pair from Illinois to advance to the regional semifinals in the last six years, after Melissa Kopinski and Rachael White won the regional in 2012 and advanced to the semifinals in 2011.
As a No. 5-8 seed, and 25th-ranked doubles pair, Kwong and Vias secured a bye in the first round. In the second round, the Illinois pair took down Kelsey Grambeau and Sydney Rider of Wisconsin, 8-2. Kwong and Vias also defeated Allison Miller and Mary Closs of Notre Dame in the Round of 16, 8-4, as well as Western Michigan's Tracy Kuhle and Melina Lyubomirova, 8-2. The Orange and Blue doubles pair finally fell to Kate Fahey and Alex Najarian of Michigan in the semifinals, 8-4.
Madie Baillon and Jaclyn Switkes, earning a No. 9-12 seed, advanced to the Round of 16 in doubles, knocking off Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Hayley Marshall and Alysa Straub. Alexis Casati and Daniela Pedraza Novak, a No. 13-16 seeded doubles pair, also advanced to the Round of 16, defeating Florence Abbott and Milica Tesic of DePaul, followed by Bowling Green's Marharita-Sophia Tavpash and Paula Comella.
In the main singles draw, both Kwong (ranked No. 85 nationally) and Vias advanced to the Round of 16. Kwong defeated Northwestern's Alex Chatt, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2, before she fell to No. 68 Anna Sanford of Ohio State, 6-2, 6-0. In the Round of 32, Vias topped Michigan State's Lexi Baylis, 6-3, 6-3, but was defeated by Northwestern's 30th-ranked Maddie Lipp, 6-0, 6-1.
Pedraza Novak reeled off four-straight singles wins, advancing from the qualifying singles draw to the Round of 32 in the main singles draw. In the qualifying singles draw, Pedraza Novak took down Anna Veleva of Eastern Michigan, Akron's Karolina Maksimova, and Marharita-Sophia Tavpash of Bowling Green in straight sets. Pedraza Novak also took out Bowling Green's Anna Kholodnaya in the main singles draw, before falling to No. 66 Yulia Shupenia of DePual.
ILLINOIS RESULTS FROM ITA REGIONALS:
SINGLES
Qualifying Singles Draw
Jelena Vujicic (ISU) def. Jerricka Boone, 7-6 (2), 0-6, 6-4
Polina Radeva (BGSU) def. Jade Hilton, 6-2, 6-2
Daniela Pedraza Novak def. Anna Veleva (EMU), 6-1, 6-3
Pedraza Novak def. Karolina Maksimova (Akron), 6-3, 6-0
Pedraza Novak def. Marharita-Sophia Tavpash (BGSU), 6-4, 6-3
Consolation Singles
Princess Gbadamosi (Cleveland State) def. Jade Hilton, 7-5, 6-1
Main Singles Draw
Madie Baillon def. Athena Trouillot (MSU), 6-4, 6-3
No. 41 Kate Fahey (Michigan) def. Baillon, 6-4, 6-0
No. 85 Louise Kwong def. Alex Chatt (Northwestern), 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2
No. 68 Anna Sanford (OSU) def. No. 85 Kwong, 6-2, 6-0
Pedraza Novak def. Anna Kholodnaya (BGSU), 6-7 (4), 6-0, 7-6 (4)
No. 66 Yulia Shupenia (DePaul) def. Pedraza Novak, 6-3, 6-4
Melina Lyubomirova (WMU) def. Jaclyn Switkes, 6-4, 6-3
Ines Vias def. Lexi Baylis (MSU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 30 Maddie Lipp (Northwestern) def. Vias, 6-0, 6-1
DOUBLES
Main Doubles Draw
Madie Baillon/Jaclyn Switkes def. Hayley Marshall/Alysa Straub (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), 8-5
No. 48 Monica Robinson/Brooke Broda (Notre Dame) def. Baillon/Switkes, 8-4
Lexi Baylis/Aslina Chua (MSU) def. Jerricka Boone/Jade Hilton, 8-5
Alexis Casati/Daniela Pedraza Novak def. Florence Abbott/Milica Tesic (DePaul), 8-2
Casati/Pedraza Novak def. Marharita-Sophia Tavpash/Paula Comella (BGSU), 8-3
No. 4 Brienne Minor/Mira Ruder-Hook (Michigan) def. Casati/Pedraza Novak, 8-5
No. 25 Louise Kwong/Ines Vias def. Kelsey Grambeau/Sydney Rider (Wisconsin), 8-2
No. 25 Kwong/Vias def. Allison Miller/Mary Closs (Notre Dame), 8-4
No. 25 Kwong/Vias def. Tracy Kuhle/Melina Lyubomirova (WMU), 8-2
Kate Fahey/Alex Najarian (Michigan) def. No. 25 Kwong/Vias, 8-4
