Oct. 18, 2012

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Senior Josefin Andersson from the South Carolina women’s tennis team advanced to the singles main draw of the USTA/ITA Carolina Regional Championships on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Andersson defeated Christina Riley of UNC Wilmington in her first-round match of qualifying by scores of 7-5, 6-2. In round two, she scored a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Charlotte’s Natsuko Takayanagi. Andersson will face Tessa Lyons in the main draw field of 64 Friday afternoon.

Ximena Siles Luna and Alex Martin also played in the qualifying portion of the event Thursday. Siles Luna defeated Karen Forman of Wake Forest in her first match 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) before losing to Alice Garcia of Winthrop in straight sets 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. Martin fell in her first-round match to Giovanna Portioli from Winthrop 6-3, 6-2.

In the doubles main draw, Andersson teamed with Katerina Popova for an 8-5 victory against Linsell and Lasure from Appalachian State.

In addition to Andersson, Jaklin Alawi, Dominika Kanakova, Popova, and Adriana Pereira will all compete in the singles main draw Friday. Alawi and Kanakova will also compete as a duo in doubles, as will Martin and Siles Luna. Alawi and Kanakova are listed as the No. 1 seed in the doubles draw, and Alawi is seeded 5-8 for singles. Popova is a 9-16 seed for singles.

SINGLES QUALIFYING
Ximena Siles Luna, USC, def. Karen Forman, WFU, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
Alice Garcia, WU, def. Ximena Siles Luna, USC, 7-6 (11-9), 6-3
Giovanna Portioli, WU, def. Alex Martin, USC 6-3, 6-2
Josefin Andersson, USC, def. Christina Riley, UNCW, 7-5, 6-2
Josefin Andersson, USC, def. Natsuko Takayanagi, CHAR, 6-3, 6-3

DOUBLES MAIN DRAW
Andersson/Popova, USC, def. Linsell/Lasure, ASU, 8-5 (Round of 64)

LEGEND
ASU = Appalachian State
CHAR = Charlotte
USC = South Carolina
UNCW = UNC Wilmington
WFU = Wake Forest
WU = Winthrop