Mikulskyte Defeats New National Champion in NCAA Singles First Round
ORLANDO, Fla. – In her first individual postseason appearance in her decorated four years, University of Kentucky women’s tennis senior Justina Mikulskyte rallied from behind a first-set deficit to defeat the new NCAA National Champion’s No. 4 competitor and advance to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Women’s Division I Singles Championships.
Defeating the 44th-best player in the ITA/Oracle National Singles Rankings in Emily Arbuthnott, Mikulskyte reported a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 mark on court No. 8 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. Mikulskyte held up to the momentum that aided Arbuthnott in the first set on Monday, one day after winning the National Championship as the No. 4 competitor for Stanford – the Cardinals defeated No. 2 Georgia on a 4-0 final mark on Sunday.
Mikulskyte is the first UK women’s tennis player in 13 years to advance to the second round of the singles draw. Former Wildcat and ITA Doubles All-American Kim Coventry fell in the second round to Riza Zamaleda of UCLA in Palo Alto, California, in 2006.
Kentucky’s lone senior moves to a 15-6 singles record on the dual season and an impressive 8-4 mark against ranked foes. Meanwhile, the All-SEC First Team honoree ended the singles season for the Cardinal who boasted a 20-3 singles record prior to the match. The Lithuania native, who is ranked No. 27 in the ITA/Oracle National Singles Rankings, becomes one of 32 competitors to reach the second round of the singles division.
Not only will Mikulskyte compete in the second round of the singles division on Tuesday, but paired with redshirt junior Akvile Paražinskaite the 16th-ranked doubles team will contend in the 32-team doubles field for the first round. The first serve for each of UK’s matches has not been decided. Fans are encouraged to follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram and Kentucky Women’s Tennis on Facebook for the most up to date information.
Live scoring for the singles and doubles matches can be found here. Matches prior to 4 p.m. can be streamed live here, while select matches after 4 p.m. will be broadcasted on the Tennis Channel.
For more on Kentucky women’s tennis, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, Kentucky Women’s Tennis on Facebook, or on the web at UKathletics.com.
