GREENVILLE, S.C. – Kentucky women’s tennis opened the 2024 fall tournament schedule at the Annual Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic over the weekend in Greenville, S.C. at the Mickel Tennis Center.
“This was a good opening weekend at Furman competing against some of the best teams in the country,” said head coach Shelley Jaudon. “We saw our team gain experience and competitive maturity each day. We left Furman a better team than when we arrived with on Thursday.”
The tournament’s pairings were divided into flights. In Singles Flight One, junior Zoe Hammond began play on Friday falling to Clemson’s Ria Bhakta, 1-6, 4-6. However, she found success on day two coming out on top against Georgia Tech’s Kylie Bilchev, 6-2, 6-0. She faced elimination on Sunday as Kaitlyn Carnicella of South Carolinia secured the victory over Hammond, 6-2, 6-4.
The Wildcats were represented in Singles Flight Four by Lizzy Stevens who made it to the second day before falling to Georgia Tech’s Scarlett Nicholson in three sets, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6. Her first loss of the tournament was on Friday which resulted in a 3-6, 2-6 loss to North Carolina State’s Mia Slama. Stevens later saw another opportunity in singles play against Kate Sharabura of Georgia Tech but fell 4-6, 2-6.
Sophomore Julia Zhu showed a strong performance throughout the tournament as she played through all three days in Singles Flight Five. On Friday, Zhu earned her first win of the weekend over Georgia’s Hayden Mulberry in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. She faced defeat on the second day to NC State’s Gabia Paskauskas, 2-6, 1-6, but found day three redemption winning 6-3, 6-1 against Texas Tech’s Mariia Hlahola.
Ellie Eades was paired into Singles Flight Six but struggled to move forward in the winner’s bracket through two rounds of play. She was unable to get the victory on the first day against Clemson’s Artemis Aslanisvili who won the match 6-2, 6-4. On the second day of competition, Eades fell once more to Furman’s Ellie Schulson in two sets, 4-6, 3-6.
Singles Flight Seven featured freshman newcomer Tess Bucher who made her Kentucky women’s tennis debut with a first-round win over Wake Forest’s Makayla Mills, 6-4, 7-5. She faced her first loss on Saturday to Georgia Tech’s Taly Licht, 2-6, 3-6 but was able to once again find success against Alabama’s Sara Nayar after three sets of play, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Junior Ellie Myers was able to secure three consecutive victories in Singles Flight 10 beginning with a first-round 6-3, 6-3 win against Clemson’s Sophie Clayton. In round two, Georgia’s Tatum Buffington who retired after one full set with Myers with the score sitting in UK’s favor, 6-1, 1-0. The Evansville, Ind. native also took on Mississippi State’s Maria Rizzolo winning 6-2, 6-2. She closed her weekend of singles play with one final victory against Furman’s Grace Thomas, 6-1, 6-1.
Also in Singles Flight 10, Asuncion Jadue made her Wildcat debut. She first fell to Natalie Outcalt of Auburn, after receiving a first-round bye, 6-7 (4-7), 4-6. However, she found her rhythm in the next match against Julie Bedard, also of Auburn, with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Entering doubles play, Eades and Stevens paired up in Doubles Flight One taking on Avelina Sayfetdinova and Mariia Hlahola of Texas Tech falling 4-6. However, the pair rallied for a second round 7-6(4) win over Georgia Tech’s Kate Sharabura and Scarlett Nicholson. The Kentucky tandem once again saw a victory in round three as they took down Romana Cisovska and Gaia Parravicini from Clemson, 6-2.
The second Wildcat duo competed in Doubles Flight Four as Hammond teamed up with Bucher. Following a 6-7 (5-7) defeat in the first round against NC State’s Mia Slama and Gabia Paskauskas, the pair fought for a win in the second round. However, they faced elimination as Ohio State’s Alessia Cau and Teah Chavez won 7-6(8).
Jadue and Zhu were the next Cats to team up as the pair found round one success in Double Flight Five against Auburn’s Julie Bedard and Natalie Outcalt, 6-3. They then found success once again in round two with a 7-5 victory over Mississippi State’s Emma Cohen and Jayna Clemens followed by a bye in the third round.
“Lizzy Stevens and Ellie Eades really set the tone in doubles on Friday and Saturday while Tess Bucher and Asuncion Jadue made their debuts with strong showings in singles and doubles,” stated Coach Jaudon. “This is a dynamic group, and I look forward to seeing their development throughout the fall season.”
Following this past weekend’s tournament, the Cats will now set their sights on ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. (Sept. 21-29) and the Charlotte Invite held in Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 27-29).
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