Freshman Nash To Play In OU Invite Finals

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma women's tennis wrapped up the second day of the OU Invite with five wins in singles play and a third-place finish in doubles on Saturday at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

The No. 1 singles flight was highlighted by OU freshman Serena Nash. The Bradford, England, native picked up two straight-set wins on the day. She opened the day by beating Texas Tech's Lynn Kiro, 6-2, 6-3, before knocking off Tulsa's Rongrong Leenabanchong, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to Sunday's championship match.

Nash will face SMU's Elizaveta Buss in the final at 9 a.m. CT.

“Serena was impressive today,” Oklahoma head coach Audra Cohen said. “She stepped up big and executed smart tennis in the big moments. She's improving with each match and she's proven that she can compete against the top players.”

No. 72 junior Lily Miyazaki held off North Texas' Thoma for a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the top draw, while redshirt senior Mimi Fotopoulos took Tulsa's Leenabanchong to three sets, but fell, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a marathon match.

In the second draw, Byrne advanced to the semifinals after beating SMU's Macie Elliott 6-4, 6-0. The freshman's run was halted by a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Texas Tech's Alba Cortina Pou.

In the consolation bracket, Brooke Withrow topped Wichita State's Marija Mastilovic 7-6 (8), 3-6, 6-4. She will play Haruka Sasaki of North Texas in Sunday's consolation semifinal match.

In doubles, Fotopoulos and junior Christie Brigante started strong in their third place match against Wright/Sharapova of SMU. After opening the match with an early break of serve and a 3-0 lead, Brigante/Fotopoulos closed out the contest with a 6-4 victory and a third-place finish for the Sooners.

On the consolation side of the No. 2 doubles draw, Withrow and fellow junior Simran Sethi fell, 7-5, to North Texas' Babic and Alexis Thoma in the doubles bracket's third-place match.

In the round-robin doubles draw, OU senior Ann Pepper teamed with Wichita State's Mastilovic for another victory, giving the duo a 2-1 record on the weekend.

The Sooners are back in action Sunday at 9 a.m. CT with the final round of singles. Admission is free to the tournament.