Lady'Backs near perfect win five of six flights

FAYETTEVILLE—With four newcomers leading the way, the University of Arkansas women’s tennis team came extremely close to a clean sweep of the Lady Razorback Fall Invitational on Sunday afternoon at the UA Varsity Courts. “This was a great way for us to open the season,” said head coach Michael Hegarty. “The best thing about this weekend was the number of matches we were able to play. We played 35 matches and remained healthy, which is critical at this point [in the season].” Overall, the Lady Razorbacks finished the tournament 35-9, with the help of a 6-3 singles effort and a 3-0 doubles record on Sunday. Three Lady’Backs ended the tournament as flight champions, winning all four of their singles matches to achieve the title. Moreover, two of the three Lady Razorback flight champions also finished the weekend tournament undefeated at 7-0, taking part in doubles flight titles as well. Junior transfer Vlatka Jovanovic continued to breeze through the competition with little or no trouble as she defeated Oklahoma State’s Zana Masnic in the Wimbledon flight title match, 6-2, 6-1. Jovanovic lost only five games in her 4-0 singles run at the Lady Razorback Fall Invitational. So far as a Lady’Back, the native Croatian has a game winning percentage of just over 90 percent. In doubles, Jovanovic teamed up with junior Melissa Cornett to win the Canadian Open doubles flight title match. The Arkansas pair handled OSU’s Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt, 8-3, to win the title. Freshman Maryori Franco entered Sunday’s matches 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles. Franco took home her fourth singles victory and the French Open flight singles match title when she disposed of Jana Kubicikova of OSU, 6-3 6-1. Franco and junior transfer Karina Ledaja teamed up in doubles to win the Italian Open flight title match in a 9-7 battle against OSU’s Masnic and Iryna Tkechenko. The win gave the Lady’Back duo their third doubles victory of the tournament. Freshman Yawna Allen rounded out the singles flight title match winners with a 6-4 6-1 victory to win the U.S. Open Flight title. Allen cruised to victory in the straight sets over OSU’s Kubicikova. OSU’s Tkechenko won the fourth flight title match, defeating Arkansas’ Ledaja 6-1, 6-0 in the U.S. Open title match. Ledaja finished the tournament 3-1 in singles competition. Arkansas also netted key victories on Sunday afternoon. Senior Whitney Morton finished her tournament schedule 3-1 after rolling to victory over Wichita State’s Genevieve Spink 6-0, 6-1. Iliana Pacheco also captured her third win of the tournament. The senior cruised to a win over WSU’s Marisa Simmons, 6-1, 6-0. Freshman Audrey Bordeleau captured her second victoryof the tournament in a two set battle with WSU’s Jackie Richey. Bordeleau won the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-5, but had little troubles in the second set, winning 6-0. Cornett played a singles match on Sunday as well, but fell in a three-set bout with Sam Houston State’s Lata Assudani, 6-4, 2-6, 5-7. Freshman Allison Linden competed in her fourth singles match of the tournament, but was defeated by Southwest Missouri State’s Paty Manzur, 2-6, 2-6. The Lady Razorbacks have two weeks off before traveling to Lexington, Ken. to compete in the UK Fall Classic on Oct. 1-3. For more information, please visit www.ladybacks.com.

Lady Razorback Fall InvitationalResults for Sunday, September 19, 2004Singles: Australian Open Flight Title MatchTkachenko (OSU) def. Ledaja (Ark) 6-2, 6-1Wimbledon Flight Title MatchJovanovic (Ark) def. Masnic (OSU) 6-2, 6-1French Open Flight Title MatchFranco (Ark) def. Kubicikova (OSU) 6-3, 6-1U.S. Open Flight Title MatchAllen (Ark) def. L. Simmons (OSU) 6-4, 6-1Morton (Ark) def. Spink (WSU) 6-0, 6-1Blajer (OSU) def. Webster (WSU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1Garza (SMS) def. McDougal (SHSU) 6-4, 6-4Assudani (SHSU) def. Cornett (Ark) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5Boukheir (OSU) def. Ardila (SMS) 6-2, 6-0Bordeleau (Ark) def. Richey (WSU) 7-6 (5), 6-0Pacheco (Ark) def. M. Simmons (WSU) 6-1, 6-0Poskitt (OSU) def. Hassib (SHSU) 6-3, 6-0Exeni (WSU) def. Gakovic (SMS) 5-7, 4-6, 7-5Manzur (SMS) def. Linden (Ark) 6-2, 6-2Doubles: Italian Open Flight Title Match Ledaja/Franco (Ark) def. Tkechenko/Masnic (OSU) 9-7Canadian Open Flight Title MatchCornett/Jovanovic (Ark) def. L. Simmons/ Poskitt (OSU) 8-3Allen/Bordeleau (Ark) def. Assudani/Hassib (SHSU) 8-4Exeni/Webster (WSU) def. McDougal/Boukheir (SHSU~OSU) 8-6Kubisikova/Blajer (OSU) def. Richey/ M. Simmons (WSU) 8-6