Shelton Sweeps at First Tournament
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina freshman Emma Shelton ended the South Carolina Fall Invitational as the doubles and Silver singles champion on Saturday afternoon.
Starting off with a bye in the first round, Shelton, who was the No. 1 seed in the Silver draw, took down fellow Gamecock Kennedy Wicker, 6-2, 6-1. Facing teammate and No. 2-seeded Elise Mills in the finals, Shelton came out on top, 6-3, 6-3, for the title.
“We were really excited to see how our freshmen competed in this tournament,” head coach Kevin Epley said. “Overall, we saw a lot of great things with the freshmen and some of the veterans as well. We still have a lot to work on with the young group, but we can call the weekend a success. I’m looking forward to getting out to the practice courts and then out to Furman for the Debbie Southern Fall Classic.”
Paired up with Megan Davies in doubles, the No. 1-seeded duo won three matches for their win. With a bye in the first round, Davies and Shelton started play in the second round with a, 6-2, victory against Winthrop’s Rafaela Santos and Alisa Soloveva. Next up, the duo defeated Constanza Gorches and Valentina Mariotto of UNF, 6-4. In the final match, Davies and Shelton topped North Florida’s pair of Ana Paula Melilo and Lucia Montano, 6-3.
Davies, the No. 2 seed in the Gold draw, also made it to her finals match. In the first round, Davies earned a, 6-0, 6-1, win against Santos. She then topped Montano in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Playing Soloveva in the finals, Davies took the first set, 6-1. She then dropped the second set, 6-2. Playing a tiebreaker instead of a full third set, the two played a 10-point tiebreaker. Going back-and-forth, Soloveva eventually came out on top, 1-6, 6-2, 13-11, taking the Gold title.
Next, the Gamecocks travel to Furman, S.C., for the Debbie Southern Fall Classic, running Friday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Sept. 22.
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