Akli, Hamner Qualify for Main Draw

Cary, N.C.  – South Carolina women’s tennis senior Ayana Akli and sophomore Sarah Hamner will both compete in the singles and doubles main draws at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C., this week.

Akli earned her spot in the singles main draw after battling her way through the qualifying rounds. The Silver Spring, Maryland, native didn’t drop a single set in three matches to secure her spot in the draw.

During the second round of qualifying, Akli took down No. 77 Cristina Mayorova of rival Clemson in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. She then pulled off another straight sets win, this time over No. 56 Elaine Chervinsky of Virginia in dominating fashion, 6-2, 6-1.

No. 42 Akli earned one of just eight available spots in the main draw and will face Tennessee’s Rebeka Mertena who has a preseason ranking of No. 27 and earned an automatic bid into the main draw. The top-50 matchup will begin at 9 a.m. ET at the Cary Tennis Park.

Hamner, the No. 2 ranked player in the nation, has earned the top seed in the tournament after having won the title at last season’s All-American Championships. She earned an automatic bid to the main draw and will face Georgia Tech’s Carol Lee in the first round. Lee has a preseason singles ranking of No. 16 and currently is ranked No. 1 in the country in doubles. Hamner and Lee will face off starting at 9 a.m. ET.

In doubles, Akli and Hamner earned one of just six available qualifying spots in the main draw. The duo took out Sonya Macavei and Anessa Lee of Vanderbilt 8-3 on Tuesday to advance in the tournament. The Gamecock pair will take on Tulsa’s Maria Berlanga and Laia Conde Monfort who earned their bid into the main draw as the Tulsa Wild Card. The match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET.

All main draw action at both the men’s and women’s All-American Championships will be covered on the Cracked Racquets Crosscourt Cast. Full matches will be streamed live on the Town of Cary’s PlaySight.

For all the latest South Carolina women’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockWTennis).

Qualifying Singles Round 2

(42) Ayana Akli (SC) def. (77) Cristina Mayorova (CLEM) 6-3, 6-2

Qualifying Singles Round 3

(42) Ayana Akli (SC) def. (56) Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) 6-2, 6-1

Qualifying Doubles Round 3

(T-60) Ayana Akli/Sarah Hamner (SC) def. Sonya Macavei/Anessa Lee (VU) 8-3