May 19, 2003
Gainesville, Fla. – Kentucky senior Sarah Witten took a step toward earning her fourth career All-America selection on Monday with a three-set victory over Arizona’s Dianne Hollands in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Individual Tennis Tournament at Florida’s Ring Tennis Complex.
Witten opened the match winning the first set, 6-4, and then jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead but Hollands battled back to take the second, by a 6-3 count. In the third set both women battled back and forth, playing every point as if it were their last. Witten went up 5-4 but Hollands again came back to tie it up at 5-5 and then broke Witten’s serve to go up 6-5. Witten was undeterred, however, and showed why she has been one of the top players in the country her whole career, holding off Hollands to force a third-set tiebreak. In the tiebreak Witten got Hollands on the run and never let up, winning seven straight points to secure the victory and head into the second round of singles play. With a win tomorrow, she would earn her first-ever singles All-America selection and the fourth over all for her career.
“It feels really good to get this win,” the Naples, Fla., native said. “I wanted to make All-American in both singles and doubles and this puts me one step closer.”
Witten will face Southeastern Conference foe Sarah Riske of Vanderbilt, at 9 a.m., in Tuesday’s second round. She and doubles partner Amy Trefethen will take on Texas Tech’s Beverly Dawson and Irina Tereschenko in the first round of the doubles draw at 12:30 p.m. ET.
In other first-round singles action, UK freshman Nathalie Roels was defeated in a tough three-set match by North Carolina’s Aniels Mojzis. Roels dropped the first set of the match by a 6-4 count and then handled Mojzis easily in the second, 6-1. In the third set, the native Belgian looked to be in control taking a 4-2 lead, but the Tarheel junior was able fight her off and force a third-set tiebreak. In the breaker, Roels again was in position to win the match, going up 5-4, but a double fault on the 10th point gave Mojzis all the momentum she needed as she went on to defeat Roels, 7-5, and secure the victory.
“I’m disappointed,” Roels said. “But she played well and I just made too many mistakes. It was exciting making the NCAA’s as a freshman and I just hope I am able to get here again so I can do better.”
Agates:
Sarah Witten (UK) def. Dianne Hollands (UA) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(0)
Aniela Mojzis (UNC) def. Nathalie Roels (UK) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5)
