Sooners Go 7-1 Friday, Advance to Semifinals

Oct. 23, 2009

NORMAN, Okla.--Host Oklahoma advanced four players across all three brackets Friday at the Wilson/ITA Central Region Women's Championships in Norman. The Sooners went 7-1 on the day in what was arguably one of the best fall tournament performances in recent years OU women's tennis history.

Junior Ana-Maria Constantinescu and sophomore Marie-Pier Huet both won in the Main Draw singles round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals. Constantinescu also won two doubles matches in the Main Draw with freshman partner Teona Tsertsvadze to advance to the semifinals. Tsertsvadze also won in singles consolation along with teammate Kristina Radan, both will play in the consolation quarterfinals.

"I can't remember any other fall tournament where we went 7-1 in one day," OU head coach David Mullins said. "To do it in the toughest tournament of the fall shows a very good effort on behalf of all the Sooners who competed today. I'm looking forward to another productive day tomorrow."

Constantinescu, No. 3 seed in singles, faced Arkansas' Emily Carbone in the singles round of 16. Constantinescu breezed through the first set and overcame a late rally from Carbone in the second to win the match, 6-2, 6-4. Constantinescu will face No. 5 seed Tijana Koprivic of Minnesota in the quarterfinals.

Huet defeated the No. 12 singles seed, Antea Huljev of Kansas State in the round of 16, 6-4, 6-0. With the win, Huet advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 6 seed Madeleine Geibert of Nebraska.

Constantinescu and Tsertsvadze, the doubles No. 8 seed, defeated Sophia Ayala and Kaitlyn Ritchie of Missouri in their first match of the day, 8-3. The Sooner duo advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 2 doubles seed Jo Ann Karaitiana and Alex Kichoutkin of Tulsa. The Tulsa pair won the first game but Constantinescu and Tsertsvadze went on an 8-2 run to win the match, 8-3.

Constantinescu and Tsertsvadze advance to the doubles semifinals with the upset win over Karaitiana and Kichoutkin. The duo will face Tulsa's Nastia Erofeeva and Ewa Szatkowska on Saturday morning in the semifinals.

Sophomore Kristina Radan and freshman Brittany Parks faced No. 3 seeded Madeleine Geibert and Steffi Weinstein of Nebraska, 8-6, in the doubles round of 16. The Sooner pair fought from behind to bring the match within one point but ultimately lost, 8-6.

OU also picked up three wins in the singles consolation bracket Friday. Radan defeated Melanie Delsart of Southern Illinois in the round of 32, 6-3, 7-6, and then edged out OSU's Iryna Khatsko, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(7). Radan advances with the win play Delia Damaschin of Wichita State in the consolation quarterfinals.

Tsertsvadze received a bye in the singles consolation round of 32 and went on to beat Tulsa's Caroline Beaulieu in the tiebreaker set, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(3). Tsertsvadze will face Sara Lazarevic of Kansas in the singles consolation quarterfinals.

Doubles semifinals will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion, with singles quarterfinals to follow.

For updated results throughout the tournament, follow the links below.

Main Draw Results (updated through Friday)

Singles Consolation Bracket (updated through Friday)