Lady'Backs flash skills in day one of UK Classic

Lexington, Ky. —The University of Arkansas women’s tennis team looked strong in their first away tournament this fall at the UK Fall Classic in Lexington, Ky. The Lady Razorbacks spent Friday playing two doubles matches apiece as well as one doubles match. The Lady’Backs proved they could hold their own against the tough competition, winning 10 of 16 singles matches and two of three doubles matched on Friday. With the first day wins, Arkansas improves to 47-16 overall this fall. “I feel very good about going 12-7 today,” said head coach Michael Hegarty. “However, tomorrow’s all-around competition is critical to our development.” Junior transfer Vlatka Jovanovic gained her fifth victory at Arkansas in her first match over William and Mary’s Lena Sherbakov. Jovanovic took the match in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4. Jovanovic retired in the second set of her afternoon match to nationally ranked opponent Aibika Kalsarieva of Kentucky. “Vlatka played the best Lady’Back set in the last two years,” Hegarty said. “Her match with Aibika Kalsarieva was some of the best tennis of the tournament today.” Karina Ledaja captured her fourth and fifth wins of the fall with a victory over Marshall’s Lille Nzudie and Ohio State’s Sonia Ruzimovsky. The junior transfer from Western Kentucky handled her Marshall opponent, defeating Nzudie 6-3, 6-0. In her second match, Ledaja defeated Ruzimovsky 7-6 (4), 6-3. With the wins, Ledaja improves to 6-1 this fall. Junior Iliana Pacheco forced a come-from-behind victory in her first match against Illinois’ Brianna Knue. Kentucky’s Danielle Petrisko. In her first match, Pacheco lost the first set in a close tiebreaker, but never let up as she came back in the second set to win 6-4. In the third set, it was all Pacheco, who cruised to a 6-1 victory. In her second match, Pacheco won her first set against Kentucky’s Danielle Petrisko, 6-2, but fell off after that, losing the next two sets 6-4, 6-0. All four Arkansas freshmen captured at least one singles win for the Lady Razorbacks. Audrey Bordleau won both of her matches Friday. Bordeleau handled William and Mary’s Alex de Guzman, 6-2, 6-3 in her first match, and cruised to victory in her afternoon match-up against Marshall’s Shannon Brown, 6-4, 6-4. Allison Linden split matches on Friday, earning her second career singles victory over Purdue’s Catie McLevish, 6-1, 7-6(2). Linden lost her second match to Liis Sober of Kentucky, 3-6, 1-6. Yawna Allen spilt the day as well, coming up short against Kentucky’s Joelle Schwenk in her first match, 3-6, 3-6. She defeated Abilene Christian’s Summer Beasely in her afternoon match, 6-3, 6-0. Freshman Maryori Franco was short-changed in a 3-6, 4-6 loss to Illinois’ Momei Qu in her first match. In her second match, however, Franco notched her fifth victory of the year by defeating Marshall’s Joelle Good in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Junior Melissa Cornett fell in her first match to Purdue’s Lara Burgarello, 4-6, 1-6. Cornett won by default in her second match against Middle Tennessee State’s Claudia Szabo. In doubles action, the Lady’Backs took two of their three matches, sending their overall record to 10-2. Allen and Franco captured their first doubles win together, defeating Szabo and Jacqui Williams of MTSU, 8-1. Ledaja and Bordeleau also netted their first doubles victory as a team, winning easily over ACU’s Ashley Caperton and Lana Pavlin, 8-1. Cornett and Jovanovic fell to the competitive William and Mary duo of Candice Fuchs and Megan Levy 1-8. Action continues tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. For more information, please visit www.ladybacks.com. Agate- UK Fall Classic, Friday resultsSinglesRound OneKarina Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Lille Nzudie (Marshall) – 6-3, 6-0Joelle Schwenk (Kentucky) def. Yawna Allen (Arkansas) – 6-3, 6-3Vlatka Jovanovic (Arkansas) def. Lena Sherbakov (William & Mary) – 6-4, 6-4Momei Qu (Illinois) def. Maryori Franco (Arkansas) – 6-3, 6-4Lara Burgarello (Purdue) def. Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) – 6-4, 6-1Allie Linden (Arkansas) def. Catie McLevish (Purdue) – 6-1, 7-6 (2) Audrey Bordeleau (Arkansas) def. Alex de Guzman (William & Mary) – 6-3, 6-2Iliana Pacheco (Arkansas) def. Brianna Knue (Illinois) – 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1Round TwoKarina Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Sonia Ruzimobsky(Ohio State) – 7-6(4), 6-3Aibika Kalsarieva (Kentucky) def. Vlatka Jovanovic (Arkansas) – 7-5, retiredMaryori Franco (Arkansas) def. Joelle Good (Marshall) – 6-1, 6-0Yawna Allen (Arkansas) def. Summer Beasley (Abilene Christian) – 6-3, 6-0Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) def. Anastasia Sokolova (Illinois) – w/o, injuryDanielle Petrisko (Kentucky) def. Iliana Pacheco (Arkansas) – 2-6, 6-4, 6-0Liis Sober (Kentucky) def. Allie Linden (Arkansas) – 6-3, 6-1Audrey Bordeleau (Arkansas) def. Shannon Brown (Marshall) – 6-4, 6-4DoublesAllen/Franco (Arkansas) def. Szabo/Williams (Middle Tennessee)– 8-1Bordeleau/Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Capterton/Pavlin (Abilene Christian)– 8-1Fuchs/Levy (William and Mary) def. Cornett/Jovanovic (Arkansas) – 8-1