PALO ALTO, Calif. ? Junior Kim Coventry mounted a furious comeback to defeat Georgia Tech?s Lyndsay Shosho 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 Wednesday to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament in Stanford, Calif. Shosho was playing as alternate for Stanford?s Anne Yelsey who withdrew due to injury. Coventry will meet UCLA?s Riza Zalameda Thursday at Stanford?s Taube Tennis Center.
The first set belonged to Shoso, the nation?s 63rd-ranked player, who broke serve in the sixth set for good and never looked back winning 6-3.
In the second set, No. 49 Coventry broke serve at five before Shosho came back to tie. The first team All-SEC selection faced elimination down 5-2 at the tiebreaker with the set tied at 6-6 before roaring back to win the next five points to force the third set.
The final set was once again a test of Coventry?s perseverance as she lost the first two games. The Melbourne, Australia, native then turned her game up another level winning six out of seven games to take the set 6-3 and the match. The victory gives Coventry 26 on the season.
Coventry will turnaround tomorrow and play at 1 p.m. EDT against Zalameda. Zalameda moved to the second round by defeating Clemson?s Carol Salge 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2. The 54th-ranked sophomore helped the Bruins reach the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament this past week.
The action doesn?t stop for Coventry as she will also team with freshman Carolina Escamilla in the first round of the doubles tournament at 8:30 p.m. EDT against fourth-seeded Iva Gersic and Maja Kovacek of New Mexico. Fans can check ukathletics.com for live stats and recaps of both matches.
First Round NCAA Singles Championships
Taube Tennis Center – Stanford, Calif.
Kim Coventry (UK) def. Lyndsay Shosho (GT) – 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3