Miyazaki Claims Spot in All-American Main Draw

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIF. – Oklahoma women's tennis junior Lily Miyazaki will compete in the main draw of the prestigious Riviera ITA/All-American Championship in Pacific Palisades, Calif., beginning Thursday.

The No. 72-ranked Miyazaki won three matches, all in straight sets, in the qualifying rounds over a two-day period to advance to the main draw. Her first win came over New Mexico's No. 125 Andre LeBlanc, 6-4, 6-4, on Tuesday. She then moved on to defeat DePaul's Yulia Shupenia, 6-4, 6-3, in her second round qualifying match Tuesday afternoon.

Miyazaki secured her spot in the main draw with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Denver's Maureen Slattery on Wednesday.

"Today, Lily played a complete match," OU assistant coach Amy Sargeant said. "We've been focusing on being intense with her feet and taking away time from her opponent by taking the ball early. She executed the gameplan well. Lily is a very talented player that gets better as the tournament goes on. I'm excited to see what she brings to the court on Thursday."

She will face Ole Miss' No. 17 Arianna Hortano in the opening round of the main draw on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. CT. Miyazaki bested Hortano's teammate No. 51 Natalie Suk, 6-0, 6-4, in the Wolfpack Invitational to begin the fall season.

This is Miyazki's second appearance at the event. At last year's tournament, Miyazaki fell in the second round of the qualifying flight to USC's Jessica Failla, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6.

Fans can keep up with the tournament's main draw here.