Texas A&M
Riviera/ITA All-American Qualifier
Texas A&M?s Gavrilovska, Pierson Advance at ITA All-Americans
Oct 01, 2014 | Women's Tennis
Qualifying Singles Draw | Qualifying Doubles Draw | Singles Main Draw
PACIFIC PALICADES, Calif. – Texas A&M sophomores Saska Gavrilovska and Rachel Pierson have both reached the main draw in singles at the prestigious Riviera/ITA All-American Championships after each won three consecutive matches in straight sets in the 64-player qualifying draw on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Riviera Tennis Club.
"Saska and Rachel went through the draw like a hot knife through butter,” Texas A&M head coach Howard Joffe proudly said. “They combined to beat six nationally ranked players in two days, which speaks to the level of tennis they have played.”
Gavrilovska and Pierson open play in the 32-player main draw on Thursday. Gavrilovska will face No. 7 seed and eighth-ranked Lynn Chi of California in the first round, while Pierson drew 20th-ranked Lorraine Guillermo of Pepperdine.
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.
Gavrilovska, a No. 9-16 seed in the qualifying draw, opened play Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over 82nd-ranked Marie Casares of Vanderbilt and then defeated 79th-ranked Yukako Noi of Florida State, 6-3, 7-5, to advance to the third round. On Wednesday, Gavrilovska upset the No. 5-seed and 25th-ranked Denise Starr of California, 7-6, 6-2, becoming one of four players to work her way out of the qualifying draw and earn a berth in the main draw.
Pierson, who transferred to A&M after playing her first season at Virginia, opened with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Boston College's Lexi Borr, who had advanced through the prequalifying draw. No. 54 in the ITA preseason rankings, Pierson then posted a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory in the second round, upending former teammate and No. 9-16 seed Stefanie Nauta, who is No. 32 in the preseason rankings.
In third-round action on Wednesday, Pierson defeated 42nd-ranked Georgiana Patrasc of Mississippi State, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the main draw.
Gavrilovska and Pierson also competed in the doubles qualifying draw and finished 1-1. The unranked Aggie duo opened play on Tuesday with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-3 victory over 41st-ranked Kanika Vaidya and Rima Asatrian of Columbia. A&M was eliminated in the second round on Wednesday, falling to Virginia's No. 4 seed and 22nd-ranked Elbaba and Stephanie Nauta, 6-4, 6-3.
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:
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
Players Mentioned
