UK's Ravita and Sutjiadi Win USTA/ITA Regional Doubles Title
Oct. 21, 2014
USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships Headquarters
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Kentucky women’s tennis doubles team of Nadia Ravita and Aldila Sutjiadi were crowned regional champions with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Vanderbilt at the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., Tuesday.
UK’s first regional doubles title since 2006, Ravita and Sutjiadi earn an automatic bid to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y., Nov. 6-9.
“I am so grateful to see that Nadia and Aldila finished the regional tournament on a high note,” UK head coach Carlos Drada said. “They are finding the mental tools to play their best tennis. Today that came under pressure against a great Vanderbilt team.”
Ravita and Sutjiadi came into the tournament seeded as the No. 1 team in the main doubles draw. UK advanced to the finals with wins over Miami (Ohio), Lipscomb, Vanderbilt and Purdue before Tuesday’s finals victory over Vanderbilt’s Courtney Colton and Sydney Campbell, seeded third.
The Wildcats’ 6-2, 7-5 win vs. Vanderbilt Tuesday capped a four-day run where Ravita and Sutjiadi lost just one set. They opened with an 8-2 win over Miami’s Christine Gerrezzi and Ana Rajkovic in the main draw’s first round Saturday morning before an 8-3 win vs. Melissa Kromer and Laura Kent of Lipscomb in the second round Saturday afternoon.
In Sunday’s quarterfinals, Ravita and Sutjiadi beat Vanderbilt’s Ashleigh Antal and Astra Sharma, seeded sixth in the tournament, 8-5. UK advanced to the finals with a 4-6, 6-1 (10-6) win over Purdue’s fourth-seeded Daniela Vidal and Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum
Before the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, UK returns to Knoxville for the Tennessee Fall Classic, Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
The 2014-15 Wildcats open the spring season Jan. 13 in Hawaii, while UK hosts its first home contests of the year on Jan. 18 vs. the College of Charleston and Belmont.
Drada and the Wildcats are coming off an impressive 2013-14 campaign that saw Kentucky make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. UK advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round and three Wildcats competed at the NCAA Individual Championships, including Ravita. Drada was named the Wilson/ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year, while assistant coach Kevin Calhoun earned Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis.
