CARY, N.C. – Freshman Kinaa Graham’s strong run of play at the 2023 ITA All-American Championships came to a close on Tuesday as she fell in the third round of singles qualifying at Cary Tennis Park.
ITA All-American Championships – Qualifying Round of 32
The second round of singles qualifying began in the morning with Graham facing No. 104 DJ Bennett of Auburn. The SEC foes battled in a tight first set, with Bennett narrowly claiming it by a score of 6-4. Graham responded in the second set with a 6-4 win of her own to extend the match. The third set saw Bennett jump out to a 5-2 lead, but the freshman from Austin, Texas charged back by winning the next three games to tie it at 5-5. After splitting the next two games, the two played out a tiebreaker that saw Graham win 7-5 and advance to the final round of qualifying.
ITA All-American Championships – Qualifying Round of 16
The final round of singles qualifying saw Graham take on No. 44 Casie Wooten of Wake Forest. Wooten had a fast start to the match and claimed a 6-1 win in the first set before she went on to win the second by a score of 6-3 and book her spot in the singles main draw beginning on Wednesday.
The defeat brought an end to an impressive run for Graham, who earned five wins, including two against ranked opponents in the qualifying phase. The freshman’s tally in two tournaments of play this fall is a stellar 7-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles.
Up Next
The LSU Tennis Complex will host the 2023 ITA Women’s Southern Regional beginning with qualifying rounds on Thursday, Oct. 5. More information about the tournament is available on lsusports.net.
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ITA All-American – Qualifying Day 2
Oct. 3, 2023
Cary, N.C. (Cary Tennis Park)
Qualifying Round of 32
Kinaa Graham (LSU) def. #104 DJ Bennett (AUB), 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5)
Qualifying Round of 16
#44 Casie Wooten (WFU) def. Kinaa Graham (LSU), 6-1, 6-3