ATHENS, Ga. — After three three-set matches to earn a berth in the finals of the 2001 Georgia Invitational, LSU’s Bruna Colosio breezed past the NAIA’s No. 1-ranked player in the nation, Tonya Grib of Brenau University, 6-2, 6-1, on Monday morning at the Lindsay Hopkins Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Georgia.
Colosio, the NCAA Division I’s 44th-ranked player, saw her first action since Sept. 22, 2000, when she injured her shoulder at the ITA Clay Court Championships.
In the ninth-annual Georgia Invitational, she won five consecutive matches including three-setters in the third round, quarterfinals and semifinals.
Grib, a member of the NAIA National Runner-up Brenau University Golden Tigers of Gainesville, Ga., was the No. 5 seed in the tournament and won four straight matches to reach the final. She upset the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Georgia’s Anne Nguyen, in the semifinals, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, on Sunday.
Colosio improved to 6-1 in open play and will move up in the first spring ITA rankings from her current ranking of 44th. She finished the 2000 season at No. 6 in the nation after advancing the the NCAA Round of 16 with a 38-9 singles record.
The tournament title was the second of Colosio’s career. She also won the 1999 ITA Southwest Regional Tournament on Nov. 7 in College Station, Texas.
Colosio, a junior from Cascaval, Brazil, arrived at LSU in January of 1999 and is preparing for her third dual-match season. The season begins Saturday when the Lady Tigers take on Centenary and West Florida at 10 a.m. in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium on the campus of LSU.
Here’s Colosio’s run through the Georgia Invitational:
First Round
Received bye
Second Round
Bruna Colosio (LSU) d. Isabella Ling (Georgia Southern) 7-5,6-3
Third Round
Bruna Colosio (LSU) d. Carolina Maygora (Kentucky) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Quarterfinals
Bruna Colosio (LSU) d. Zsofia Golopencza (Armstrong St.) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Semifinals
(2) Bruna Colosio (LSU) d. (3) Lori Grey (Georgia) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
Finals
(2) Bruna Colosio (LSU) d. (5) Tonya Grib (Brenau), 6-2, 6-1