Middletown, CT- The annual fall ITA tournament kicked off with a bang on a beautiful Friday morning, hosted by Wesleyan. It was a thrilling first day of a weekend-long tennis showdown that included two rounds of both singles and doubles. The entire team secured a spot in the prestigious ITA draw, and we have multiple Ephs making their mark within the draws.
In the A draw, the fiery Annabelle Siegel blazed a trail with her outstanding singles performance today. She defeated a formidable Middlebury opponent with a resounding 6-2, 6-2 victory and followed it up with an electrifying showdown against a resilient MIT opponent, clinching a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Mia Thomann managed to come back from a 1-5 deficit in the first set, however, struggled to find her game throughout the match and fell 6-7, 3-6 to Wesleyan. Yuu Ishikawa showed immense grit, battling hard to secure her first two rounds, overcoming the odds with a 6-2, 7-6(4) and 6-3, 6-4 victory. Erica Ekstrand made a triumphant return after a year abroad at Oxford University in England, winning her first two rounds 6-2, 6-2 and 7-5, 6-0.
Over in the B Draw, Jane Ladaga underhand served her way to an 8-3 win against a Bates opponent. However, she faced a formidable second seed from MIT and fell 5-8 in a hard-fought battle. First-year talents, Julia Zhang and Margaux Molyneux, made their college debuts today. Zhang started off strong securing a 4-1 lead against her Tufts opponent, but narrowly missed victory, falling 6-8. Molyneux had a standout day, defeating her Babson and Bates opponents with scores of 8-7(2) and 8-5, demonstrating unwavering determination.
After a long series of singles matches, it was time for some thrilling doubles action. The dynamic duo of Erica Ekstrand and Yuu Ishikawa, who made it to the NCAA finals in 2022, reunited on the doubles court and defeated a tenacious Middlebury team 8-6. Freshman pair Ahn Lin and Julia Zhang faced a challenging first matchup and fell short at 4-8, but are eager for a rematch at the Middlebury invite. The pairing of Mia Thomann and Annabelle Siegel was back and employed unconventional tactics to outmaneuver a crafty MIT team, securing an 8-6 win. In the next round, they fought back from 2-7, saving three match points to level the score at 7-7. As darkness descended, they moved indoors and, despite the challenge, narrowly lost in a tiebreaker. Margaux Molyneux and Jane Ladaga dazzled everyone with their incredible net play, defeating their first opponents 8-2. In their next match, they engaged in a fierce battle with a seasoned Middlebury duo, eventually prevailing 8-6 after a thrilling comeback from 0-40 at 6-6.
Reflecting on the day's events, Head Coach Anik Cepeda couldn't contain her excitement, saying, "The coaches have been so excited to see this group compete and today did not disappoint. The future is bright for Williams Tennis. Looking forward to tomorrow!" The Ephs will be back in action bright and early tomorrow at 9 AM, undeterred by the looming rain forecast. Get ready for another day of thrilling tennis action!
Results:
Singles A:
(9-16) Annabelle Siegel (Williams) vs. Lulu Wu (Middlebury) 6-2, 6-2
Mia Thomann (Williams) vs. Alexandra Burnett (Wesleyan) 6-7, 3-6
(9-16) Yuu Ishikawa (Williams) vs. Iris Westmoreland (Bates) 6-2, 7-6
(4) Erica Ekstrand (Williams) vs. Lili Goshgarian (Smith) 6-2, 6-2
(9-16) Annabelle Siegel (Williams) vs. Jay Lu (MIT) 6-1, 7-5
(9-16) Yuu Ishikawa (Williams) vs. Ayla Hauser (Smith) 6-3, 6-4
(4) Erica Ekstrand (Williams) vs. Annika Chai (MHC) 7-5, 6-0
Singles B:
(7) Margaux Molyneux (Williams) vs. Elena Keitt (Babson) 8-7
Jane Ladaga (Williams) vs. Drew Williams (Bates) 8-3
Julia Zhang (Williams) vs. Steffy Jullian (Tufts) 6-8
(7) Margaux Molyneux (Williams) vs. Julia Anderson (Bates) 8-5
Jane Ladaga (Williams) vs. (2) Anastasia Samets (MIT) 5-8
Doubles:
Molyneux/Ladaga (Williams) vs. Perry/McGovern (Emerson) 8-2
Siegel/Thomann (Williams) vs. Pados/Johnson (MIT) 8-6
Zhang/Lin (Williams) vs. Farhat/Annapantula (Middlebury) 4-8
(5) Ekstrand/Ishikawa vs. Remis/Lardner (Middlebury) 8-6
Siegel/Thomann (Williams) vs. Hung/Sun (Bowdoin) 7-8
Molyneux/Ladaga (Williams) vs. Wu/Huang (Middlebury) 8-6
