Photo by: ITA Tennis
Makarova Advances to ITA All-American Round of 16 After Marathon Win
Oct 06, 2021 | Women's Tennis
CHARLESTON, S.C. – In one of the most closely contested singles matches of her career, No. 10-ranked Texas A&M women's tennis graduate Tatiana Makarova outlasted No. 19 Lea Ma of Georgia to advance to the ITA All-American Championships Round of 16 Wednesday.
The first two sets on Wednesday morning were closely contested at the LTP Tennis Club, with Makarova battling for a 7-5 start after the opening stanza. Despite Makarova maintaining a 5-3 lead in the second set, Ma was able to claw back into the match with a 7-6(3) performance. Each player continued to exchange blows well into the third, with Makarova holding a 5-4 advantage that placed her on the precipice of victory.
With Ma serving, Makarova fought to bring up a 40-all no-ad match point, but the tournament coordinators were forced to place all matches on pause due to inclement weather in the Charleston area. After more than seven hours away from the courts, Ma was able to tie the set at 5-5 and eventually took a 6-5 lead, but Makarova responded with a victory to send the match into a tiebreaker. Ultimately, the Moscow, Russia, native was able to pull away in the tiebreak and record a 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(3) marathon victory.
Already one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history, Makarova recorded a ranked win in her graduate season debut and joins two other Aggies with ranked wins this season. Wednesday's match is the fourth ranked win by an Aggie student-athlete this fall. The All-American logged the second-highest ranked win of her career in defeating No. 19 Ma, with her career best coming against No. 12 Giulia Pairone of Florida State during the Sweet 16 in 2021.
UP NEXT
No. 10 Makarova continues play tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 7 in the ITA All-American Championships singles Round of 16, challenging either No. 13 Victoria Flores of Pepperdine or Sarah Hamner of South Carolina. Additionally, the No. 3 ranked doubles pairing of Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith will make their season debut tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. after matches were postponed today due to inclement weather. The pairing will take on the No. 38 duo of Anna and Carolyn Campana from Wake Forest.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Assistant Coach Jordan Szabo
On Tatiana Makarova's ability to overcome adversity…
"It was a great win for Tatiana today. There was a lot of adversity today, and it was impressive to see her come out and prevail. Having to save match points, squander some match points and deal with a seven-hour rain delay will only help her grow and get stronger. We are excited for another opportunity to compete tomorrow, and I hope that the weather will clear up so we can play some doubles as well."
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
ITA Women's All-American Championships
LTP Tennis Club Mount Pleasant – Charleston, South Carolina
SINGLES MAIN DRAW
Round of 32
No. 10 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. No. 19 Lea Ma (UGA) 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(3)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
The first two sets on Wednesday morning were closely contested at the LTP Tennis Club, with Makarova battling for a 7-5 start after the opening stanza. Despite Makarova maintaining a 5-3 lead in the second set, Ma was able to claw back into the match with a 7-6(3) performance. Each player continued to exchange blows well into the third, with Makarova holding a 5-4 advantage that placed her on the precipice of victory.
With Ma serving, Makarova fought to bring up a 40-all no-ad match point, but the tournament coordinators were forced to place all matches on pause due to inclement weather in the Charleston area. After more than seven hours away from the courts, Ma was able to tie the set at 5-5 and eventually took a 6-5 lead, but Makarova responded with a victory to send the match into a tiebreaker. Ultimately, the Moscow, Russia, native was able to pull away in the tiebreak and record a 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(3) marathon victory.
Already one of the most accomplished student-athletes in program history, Makarova recorded a ranked win in her graduate season debut and joins two other Aggies with ranked wins this season. Wednesday's match is the fourth ranked win by an Aggie student-athlete this fall. The All-American logged the second-highest ranked win of her career in defeating No. 19 Ma, with her career best coming against No. 12 Giulia Pairone of Florida State during the Sweet 16 in 2021.
UP NEXT
No. 10 Makarova continues play tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 7 in the ITA All-American Championships singles Round of 16, challenging either No. 13 Victoria Flores of Pepperdine or Sarah Hamner of South Carolina. Additionally, the No. 3 ranked doubles pairing of Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith will make their season debut tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. after matches were postponed today due to inclement weather. The pairing will take on the No. 38 duo of Anna and Carolyn Campana from Wake Forest.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Assistant Coach Jordan Szabo
On Tatiana Makarova's ability to overcome adversity…
"It was a great win for Tatiana today. There was a lot of adversity today, and it was impressive to see her come out and prevail. Having to save match points, squander some match points and deal with a seven-hour rain delay will only help her grow and get stronger. We are excited for another opportunity to compete tomorrow, and I hope that the weather will clear up so we can play some doubles as well."
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
ITA Women's All-American Championships
LTP Tennis Club Mount Pleasant – Charleston, South Carolina
SINGLES MAIN DRAW
Round of 32
No. 10 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. No. 19 Lea Ma (UGA) 7-5, 6-7(3), 7-6(3)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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