PACIFIC PALICADES, Calif. – Saska Gavrilovska of Texas A&M upset No. 7 seed and former NCAA singles finalist Lynn Chi of California, 6-3, 7-6, in the first round of the main draw today at the prestigious Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. It marked the fourth consecutive win at the tournament for the sophomore, who had won three straight matches in the qualifying draw to reach the 32-player main draw.
Teammate Rachel Pierson, who also had worked her way through the qualifying draw to reach the main draw, battled for three sets but was eliminated after falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to 20th-ranked Lorraine Guillermo of Pepperdine.
"Both Saska and Rachel continue to play stellar tennis,” A&M coach Howard Joffe said. “I know Rachel is frustrated to have come up a little short today, but her effort, character and athleticism have her set on a crash course with great success.
“Exactly one year ago, Saska lost to a player from Abilene Christian and then defaulted a back draw match. Her win today over the 2013 NCAA finalist is as much an endorsement for our program and the support it offers in Aggieland as much as it is a case of Saska maturing into a delightful and rather skilled young lady.”
Gavrilovska, No. 34 in the ITA preseason singles rankings, will play 33rd-ranked Caroline Doyle of Stanford in the second round on Friday at a time to be determined.
The tournament concludes Sunday, Oct. 5, with the semifinalists receiving automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, Nov. 6-9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Follow the ITA on Twitter, @ITAtennis, for updates and news from the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships or search for the hashtag #RivieraITA to find other tweets from those tweeting the events.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWomensTennis.
Complete Texas A&M qualifying draw results:
Thursday, October 2
Singles Main Draw - First Round
Saska Gavrilovska (Texas A&M) def. [7] Lynn Chi (California), 6-3, 7-6
Lorraine Guillermo (Pepperdine) def. Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Wednesday, October 1
Qualifying Singles - Third Round
[9-16] Saska Gavrilovska (Texas A&M) def. [5] Denise Starr (California), 7-6, 6-2
Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M) def. Georgiana Patrasc (Mississippi State), 6-3, 6-2
Qualifying Doubles - Second Round
[4] Julia Elbaba/Stephanie Nauta (Virginia) def. Gavrilovska/Pierson (Texas A&M), 6-4, 6-3
Tuesday, September 30
Qualifying Singles - Second Round
[9-16] Saska Gavrilovska (Texas A&M) def. Yukako Noi (Florida State), 6-3, 7-5)
Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M) def. [9-16] Stefanie Nauta (Virginia), 7-6(6), 6-4
Qualifying Singles - First Round
[9-16] Saska Gavrilovska (Texas A&M) def. Marie Casares (Vanderbilt), 6-1, 6-4
Rachel Pierson (Texas A&M) def. Lexi Borr (Boston College), 6-1, 6-1
Qualifying Doubles - First Round
Gavrilovska/Pierson (Texas A&M) def. Kanika Vaidya/Rima Asatrian (Columbia), 6-4, 3-6, 10-3