Kentucky Will Play in ITA Indoor Championship Final for First Time Since 1988
FLUSHING, N.Y. – For the first time since 1988 when Sonia Hahn and Tamaki Takagi made the championship final of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships, Kentucky women’s tennis will have a pair appear in the title match tomorrow.
Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, the No. 9 doubles pairing in the nation, had a rematch with No. 3 Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr of California, whom Kentucky had taken down earlier in the year to advance to the finals of the Oracle/ITA Masters on Sept. 20. The Wildcats had a more dominant showing than their 7-6(3), 6-3 victory in Malibu, taking down the top-seeded Golden Bears in 6-4, 6-2 sets.
The championship final will be the second national finals game in as many national tournaments for Adachi and Sutjiadi this year.
“I am so happy for Mami and Aldila,” commended head coach Carlos Dradá. “They did a great job of playing with purpose and managed the momentum with discipline through the match.”
The two Wildcats have already turned in the best ITA Indoor Championships showing since Kim Coventry and Joelle Schwenk’s 2006 run that ended in the semifinals. Adachi and Sutjiadi are just the second pair to make it to the championship final of the tournament, and will look to bring the first ITA Indoor Championship title back to Lexington.
Adachi and Sutjiadi will face North Carolina’s Haley Carter and Whitney Kay, who are ranked No. 15 in the nation and defeated Dartmouth’s Taylor Ng and Kristina Mathis in matching 6-4 sets in the semifinals. The championship game will be available on ESPN3 and WatchESPN with the broadcast beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
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 and on Facebook.
Doubles
Semifinals
#9 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 3 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr, 6-4, 6-2
