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thevalley
Tamara Malazonia
4
Winner Rutgers RUTGERS (9-3)
3
UIC UIC (3-9)
Winner
Rutgers RUTGERS
(9-3)
4
Final
3
UIC UIC
(3-9)

Match Recap: Women's Tennis |

Women’s Tennis Edged by Rutgers in Four-Hour Thriller

The Flames won the doubles point and singles matches at the No. 1 and No. 6 positions against the Scarlet Knights

CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) – In a marathon match that took more than four hours to complete, the UIC women's tennis program (3-9) fell 4-3 to a challenging Rutgers program (9-3) in a thrilling midweek match held at the XS Tennis Village.
 
Tied 3-3, the Scarlet Knights won a three-set back and forth contest in the No. 3 singles match to clinch the victory. The Flames won the doubles point against their Big Ten opponent, while Agnes Gustafsson (Paris, France Akademi Båstad Gymnasium, Sweden)  and Anaïs Brion (Neuilly Sur Seine, France/Texas A&M - Corpus Christi) secured victories at the No. 1 and No. 6 singles positions.


 
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH ELIZABETH LUMPKIN ROBINSON
 
"Today was an incredible match and an invaluable experience for our team. Our doubles teams adapted quickly and overcame multiple match points to clinch the doubles point. We closed out singles wins in straight-sets that could've extended to third sets. That momentum helped propel Camille Belberka and Mayu Ushio during tough three-set matches. Seeing Mayu come back from down 4-1 tin the third set and leave everything she had on the court for the team was so important for building our belief and team connection."
 
MATCH RECAP
  • In doubles competition, the Flames' No. 2 doubles team of  Mayu Ushio (Yamaguchi, Japan/Miami University) and Zara Ryan (Dublin, Ireland/Utah State) were down 5-3 to their Rutgers counterparts and saved four match points before clawing back for a gritty 7-5 victory.
  • UIC's No. 3 doubles tandem of Paula Rodriguez Gregoris (Canary Islands, Spain/International School of Berne) and Tamara Malazonia (Birmingham, United Kingdom/St. Paul's School for Girls) won tight 7-6 contest via a 7-4 tiebreak to secure the doubles point for the Flames.
  • In singles competition, after Rutgers won at No. 2 singles to tie the team score at 1-1, Gustafsson won her match at the No. 1 spot in straight-sets to give UIC the 2-1 advantage. The victory was the senior's fifth singles win of the season.
  • With the team score tied 2-2, Brion took down her opponent in straight-sets at the No. 6 position to help the Flames retake the lead.
  • After Rutgers tied the team score following its victory at No. 4 singles, all eyes turned to the match at the No. 3 spot between Ushio and Rutgers' Jackeline Lopez. Down 4-1 in the third set, Ushio fought back and won four of the next six games before ultimately falling 7-5.
Full results from Thursday's contest are below.
 
RESULTS
 
RUTG 4, UIC 3
 
Doubles – UIC wins the doubles point
  1. Chilton/Gurevich (RUTG) def. Gustafsson/Belberka (UIC) 6-4
  2. Ushio/Ryan (UIC) def. Badawi/Nguyen (RUTG) 7-5
  3. Rodriguez Gregoris/Malazonia (UIC) def. Karki/Kim (RUTG) 7-6 (7-4)
Singles
  1. Gustafsson (UIC) def. Chilton (RUTG) 6-4, 6-1
  2. Badawi (RUTG) def. Malazonia (UIC) 6-4, 6-0
  3. Lopez (RUTG) def. Ushio (UIC) 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-5
  4. Nguyen (RUTG) def. Belberka (UIC) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
  5. Kim (RUTG) def. Ryan (UIC) 6-2, 6-2
  6. Brion (UIC) def. Valitova (RUTG) 6-0, 6-4
UP NEXT
  • The Flames are off until March 21, when they host Oral Roberts at 10 a.m. at the XS Tennis Village.
  • Next Thursday's match is the final nonconference contest of the season for UIC before the team turns its attention to Missouri Valley Conference play.
  • This will be the first match between the two schools on the tennis court.
  • Oral Roberts is 4-8 in 2024 and is has won its last three contest. The team hasn't played since March 9.
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