AUBURN, Ala. — LSU’s Nicole Kantor and Whitney Wolf advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Southern Regional Championships Saturday hosted by Auburn at the Yarborough Tennis Center in Auburn, Ala.
“I was really pleased with Nicole Kantor and Whitney Wolf’s wins today,” said head coach Tony Minnis.
“I was also very impressed with how Kaitlin Burns played today. She won a great first match and came close to winning her second match. She’s really come a long way.”
No. 9 seed Kantor, a St. Louis, Mo., native, raced past Auburn’s Plamena Kurteva 6-0, 6-2 in the singles round of 64 and then picked up her first ranked win of the season 6-2, 6-0 over fifth-seeded, 102nd-ranked Claire Clark of UL-Monroe in the singles round of 32.
Sophomore seventh-seed Wolf defeated Milou Israel of UL-Lafayette 6-2, 6-2 in the round of 64 and beat Ole Miss’s Gabriela Rangel in a hotly-contested three-set battle 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4 in the round of 32.
Lady Tiger Kaitlin Burns gave a tremendous effort as she took the win over Mississippi State’s top player Olesya Tsigventseva 7-6 (10), 6-2. In the singles round of 32, Burns fell to Ole Miss’s Karen Njissen 4-6, 6-0, 6-1.
Ebie Wilson dropped her match to Evelien Strijker of UAB 6-3, 7-6 in the consolation singles.
In the doubles quarterfinals, Connor Vogel and Rangel of Ole Miss bounced the fourth-seeded tandem of Kantor and Wolf from the tournament.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action Sunday beginning with semifinal doubles at 9 a.m. CDT.
ITA Southern Regional Championships
Auburn, Ala. ? Day 3 Results
Singles
Main Draw Round of 64
Nicole Kantor (LSU) def. Plamena Kurteva (AU) 6-0, 6-2
Whitney Wolf (LSU) def. Milou Israel (ULL) 6-2, 6-2
Kaitlin Burns (LSU) def. Olesya Tsigventseva (MSU) 7-6 (10), 6-2
Main Draw Round of 32
Nicole Kantor (LSU) def. Claire Clark (ULM) 6-0, 6-2
Whitney Wolf (LSU) def. Gabriela Rangel (OM) 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4
Karen Njissen (OM) def. Kaitlin Burns (LSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
Consolation
Singles
Evelien Strijker (UAB) def. Ebie Wilson (LSU) 6-3, 7-6
Doubles
Main Draw Quarterfinals
Connor Vogel/Gabriela Rangel (OM) def. Nicole Kantor/Whitney Wolf (LSU) 8-4