Carolina women’s tennis opened singles play in the Qualifying Draw of the ITA All-American Championships on Monday at Cary Tennis Park and sent four Tar Heels through to the next round.
Alanis Hamilton got the day rolling with a straight-set win over Maria de la Paz Alberto of Iowa State, while No. 85 Alexis Nguyen and No.
95 Nicole Khirin also came through in their first appearances at All-Americans. Nguyen had to work a little harder, but she closed out her first-round match after taking the second set in a tiebreak.
Khirin handled her business against Amina Salibayeva of Alabama, keeping her opponent to two points or fewer in each set.
Anna Frey kept her strong start at All-Americans going after moving out of the Pre-Qualifying Draw. She backed that up with a convincing straight-set win over 17th-seeded Vilma Krebs Hyllested of the University of San Diego.
UNC also had two players fall in the round. Maddy Zampardo dropped a 7-5, 6-1 decision to Linea Bajraliu of Georgia, and Thea Rabman was beaten by No. 82 Brooke Black of Florida.
Here’s how the singles results played out: Alanis Hamilton (UNC) d. Maria de la Paz Alberto (Iowa State) 6-1, 6-3
Linea Bajraliu (Georgia) d. Maddy Zampardo (UNC) 7-5, 6-1
Anna Frey (UNC) d. Vilma Krebs Hyllested (San Diego) 6-1, 6-3
No. 95 Nicole Khirin (UNC) d. Amina Salibayeva (Alabama) 6-1, 6-2
No. 85 Alexis Nguyen (UNC) d. Marta Makarova (UCF) 6-4, 7-6 (5)
No. 82 Brooke Black (Florida) d. Thea Rabman (UNC) 6-1, 7-6 (3)
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 43rd annual All-American Championship runs this week and remains one of the key stops for the nation’s top players. The event also serves as a path to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.
In singles, 10 players will punch their tickets to the NCAA Singles Championship, with eight main-draw quarterfinalists and two feed-in consolation finalists advancing. In doubles, five teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the All-American Championships, including four main-draw semifinalists and the consolation champion.
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UNC Already Has 3 Breakout Stars Fans Need To Notice
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On the offensive side, tight end Thurman has stepped into the mix at an important time after the injury to projected starter Jaxxon Warren, becoming a more reliable part of the passing game. For a team still sorting out its identity this early in the season, those kinds of breakout performances matter because they can help stabilize both sides of the ball while the Tar Heels use the bye week to reset and prepare for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]