Women's Tennis . October 13, 2022

Gamecocks Go Undefeated on First Day of Regional Championships

Winston-Salem, N.C. – South Carolina women’s tennis went undefeated on the first day of the ITA Carolina Regional Championships held in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Gamecocks were perfect through four singles matches and four doubles matches.

The day started in singles where sophomore Misa Malkin and senior Ana Cruz both began in the main draw round of 64. Malkin and Cruz both advanced to the round of 32 with straight sets wins over their respective opponents. In the second round of singles both Gamecocks had three set battles to advance to the round of 16. Cruz earned her victory from behind after dropping the first set while Malkin won her first set but dropped her second and had to earn her victory in a decisive third set.

In doubles, the Gamecocks were perfect in both the A1 and A2 doubles draws. In the A1 draw, sophomore Sarah Hamner and freshman McKenna Schaefbauer teamed up to take down Noa Boyd and Amila Jusufbegovic of Charleston Southern 8-4. Also in the A1 bracket were Allie Gretkowski and Gracie Mulville who took down Wofford’s Lily Woods and Georgia Fischer 8-3.

In the A2 doubles draw, seniors Cruz and Ayana Akli defeated Gardner-Webb’s Maria Jardim and Emilia Roslund in a dominating 8-2 set. Senior Elise Mills paired up with Malkin against Lucia Aranda and Emma can Poppel of Charlotte. The Gamecocks came out on top 8-3.

Play will continue at the Regional Championships on Friday beginning with doubles at 9 a.m. Full draws and match times can be found on the tournament webpage. Selected matches will be live streamed here and court assignments can be found here.

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

Singles Round of 64

Misa Malkin (SC) def. Eeva Ristola (Campbell) 6-4, 6-2

Ana Cruz (SC) def. Ellie Murphy (App St.) 6-4, 6-3

Singles Round of 32

Misa Malkin (SC) def. Ines Bachir el Bouhali (ECU) 6-1, 7-5, 6-0

Ana Cruz (SC) def. Lilie Steryous (Coastal) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

A1 Doubles Round of 32

Sarah Hamner/McKenna Schaefbauer (SC) def. Noa Boyd/Amila Jusufbegovic (Chs. So.) 8-4

Allie Gretkowski/Gracie Mulville (SC) def. Lily Woods/Georgia Fischer (Wofford) 8-3

A2 Doubles Round of 32

Ana Cruz/Ayana Akli (SC) def. Maria Jardim/Emilia Roslund (Gardner-Webb) 8-2