CMS Women's Tennis Goes 6-0 on First Day of ITA Cup

ROME, Ga. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis team swept all of its matches on the opening day of the Oracle ITA Cup at the Rome Tennis Center, capturing all four singles matches and both doubles matches to advance through to tomorrow's second day. 

Senior Catherine Allen and first-year Justine Leong remain alive in both brackets, as the duo moved on to the ITA Cup semifinals with two singles wins on Thursday. Allen and Leong also advanced through to the quarterfinals in doubles, while sophomore Crystal Juan and first-year Anna Kern advanced from the Round of 16 as well. 

In singles, Allen and Leong both had no trouble in picking up two wins and advancing through to tomorrow's semifinal round. Allen won her opening contest 6-2, 6-1 over Nina Mitrofanova of Southwestern (Texas) and kept the momentum going through in the quarterfinals against Alexa Goetz of Emory, picking up a 6-1, 6-3 win to reach the semifinal round after dropping only seven games over four sets. 

Leong came out on fire in singles, taking a 6-0 win over Emma Cartledge of Emory in the first set. Cartledge regrouped and put up a strong fight in the second set, staying within 4-3, but Leong won the last two games to take the match and advance through to the quarterfinals against Erika Oku of Kenyon. Leong quickly gained the upper hand in the quarterfinal round as well, and went on to earn a 6-1, 6-2 win, reaching the semifinals by dropping only six games over four sets. 

In doubles, Juan and Kern won a pair of tight sets to move on to the quarterfinal round, edging Anna Maria Buraya and Anastasiia Balyk 6-4, 7-5. They will face twins Zoe and Mary Kaffen of Trinity (Texas) in tomorrow's quarters, which will take place in the afternoon at the conclusion of singles. Allen and Leong, meanwhile, had no trouble in their doubles match, winning 6-1, 6-3 and will face Whitman's duo of Andei Fukushige and Andrea Gu tomorrow afternoon. 

Allen and Leong met each other in the ITA West Regional finals two weeks ago at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center, with Leong taking the first set 6-0 before Allen was forced to retire with a minor injury. They could set up a rematch on Saturday if they each pick up a semifinal win tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. (EDT), with Leong squaring off against Serim Jin of Wesleyan in a battle of talented first-year players, while Allen will face Lauren Park of the University of Chicago.   Allen and Leong played Juan and Kern in the ITA West Regional doubles finals, and each stand two wins away from repeating history in that bracket as well.