Oct. 1, 2011

EVANSTON, Ill. — The South Carolina women’s tennis team posted a 10-2 record Saturday in singles play at the Wildcat Invitational in Evanston, Ill.

Jaklin Alawi scored two 6-4, 6-3 wins over No. 112 Amy Barton of Michigan State and Gia McKnight of DePaul to reach the semifinals of the A flight. Katerina Popova won her opening-round contest versus Aleksandra Markovic of Wisconsin in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 before losing to Marie-Pier Huet from Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of flight A 6-2, 6-4.

In flight B, Dominika Kanakova ran off two victories to reach the semis, first beating Iowa’s Ellen Silver 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and then Olga Chernova from Michigan State 6-3, 6-0. Josefin Andersson won her sixth match in a row by downing Katie Zordani from Iowa in the round of 16 by scores of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. She took her first loss of the year in the quarters to DePaul’s Patricia Fargas Osorio 7-6, 3-6, 6-2.

Adriana Pereira and Dina Guzairova both reached the semifinal round in flight C with two wins on the day. Pereira beat Morven McCulloch of Iowa 6-1, 6-4 and then Michigan State’s Katarina Lingl 6-4, 6-0. Guzairova first defeated Western Michigan’s Maria Nivia 6-3, 7-5 and then Julianne Gruber of MSU 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to stay undefeated this season at 7-0.

Play continues in the Wildcat Invitational at 10 a.m. ET Sunday with one round of singles scheduled due to participating teams’ travel arrangements.

SINGLES – FLIGHT A
Jaklin Alawi, USC, def. #112 Amy Barton, MSU, 6-4, 6-3
Jaklin Alawi, USC, def. Gia McKnight, DPU, 6-4, 6-3
Katerina Popova, USC, def. Aleksandra Markovic, UW, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Marie-Pier Huet, OU, def. Katerina Popova, USC, 6-2, 6-4

SINGLES – FLIGHT B
Josefin Andersson, USC, def. Katie Zordani, UI, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Patricia Fargas Osorio, DPU, def. Josefin Andersson, USC, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
Dominika Kanakova, USC, def. Ellen Silver, UI, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Dominika Kanakova, USC, def. Olga Chernova, MSU, 6-3, 6-0

SINGLES – FLIGHT C
Adriana Pereira, USC, def. Morven McCulloch, UI, 6-1, 6-4
Adriana Pereira, USC, def. Katarina Lingl, MSU, 6-4, 6-0
Dina Guzairova, USC, def. Maria Nivia, WMU, 6-3, 7-5
Dina Guzairova, USC, def. Julianne Gruber, MSU, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2