Oct. 8, 2010

EVANSTON, Ill. — The South Carolina women’s tennis team had a strong first day at the Wildcat Invitational on Friday in Evanston, Ill.

The Gamecocks won four of five matches in singles. Dijana Stojic defeated Kaitlin Burns from LSU in flight D 6-1, 6-4, while Katerina Popova also won in straight sets against Illinois-Chicago’s Teona Tsertsvadze 6-0, 6-4. Anya Morgina also competed in flight D and needed three sets to down Hannah Berner from Wisconsin 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Miljana Jocic scored a victory over Ariel Morton of LSU in flight C after falling behind early to win 6-4, 6-0. South Carolina’s one loss came when Dominika Kanakova attempted to play despite fighting an illness and withdrew after four games.

In doubles, Morgina and Popova advanced to the semifinals of flight B with a pair of wins. The two defeated Bohrer and Wilson from Michigan State first by a 9-7 score first and then upended Chupa and Hois of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals 8-5. Jocic and Stojic lost their first-round flight D match-up with Ferrazzi and Palen from Minnesota 8-6, but they rebounded with a 9-8(3) triumph against Wisconsin’s Berner and Stracar.

Play continues in the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday morning with one round of doubles and two rounds of singles.

DAY ONE RESULTS

Singles
#58 Dijana Stojic, USC, def. Kaitlin Burns, LSU, 6-1, 6-4 (Flight D)
#70 Anya Morgina, USC, def. Hannah Berner, WIS, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 (Flight D)
Miljana Jocic, USC, def. Ariel Morton, LSU, 6-4, 6-0 (Flight C)
Katerina Popova, USC, def. Teona Tsertsvadze, UIC, 6-0, 6-4 (Flight D)
Miloslava Shustova, WMU, def. Dominika Kanakova, USC, 3-1 (retired, illness) (Flight B)

Doubles
Morgina/Popova, USC, def. Bohrer/Wilson, MSU, 9-7 (Flight B)
Morgina/Popova, USC, def. Chupa/Hois, WIS, 8-5 (Flight B)
Ferrazzi/Palen, MN, def. Jocic/Stojic, USC, 8-6 (Flight D)
Jocic/Stojic, USC, def. Berner/Stracar, WIS, 9-8(3) (Flight D)