Sutjiadi Bounced from ITA All-American Championships Singles
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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – University of Kentucky senior Aldila Sutjiadi was defeated in the ITA All-American Championships on Friday by Oklahoma State’s Viktoriya Lushkova.
After competing in both singles and doubles the previous day, Sutjiadi struggled to get momentum going in the match which saw Lushkova win in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.
“It was a tough match,” assistant coach Federico Sabogal said on Friday. “I don’t think Dila was physically in her best condition. It was a long day yesterday of singles and doubles and it wasn’t our best. Our energy wasn’t quite there.”
“We still learned a lot from and the match she won yesterday against a very good SEC opponent,” continued Sabogal. “After today, I think we have a lot to work on, but I saw some positive things that I think are going to help us throughout the season.”
The No. 1 Wildcats tandem will have a chance to redeem themselves following their loss in the round of 16 doubles match on Thursday. The duo will square off against No. 5 Miho Kowase/Anna Sanford from Ohio State on Saturday afternoon in the consolation draw. A win in the match would give the Kentucky pair an automatic bid to the UTSA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships in Flushing, New York, Nov. 3-6.
Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi initially competed on Thursday night when they were ousted by Pepperdine’s Mayar Sherif Ahmed and Christine Maddox in a second-round doubles match. After the UK tandem took a quick 6-2 lead, the Pepperdine pair began chipping away at the deficit to force the match into a tiebreak. The Wildcats were ultimately defeated in an 8-7 (1) decision.
“It was unfortunate. We had a chance to win,” Sabogal explained. “We were playing really well with a lot of confidence and very aggressive. We kind of felt that we had the match already in our hands. We lost the momentum, and those things can’t happen against good teams.”
“I think the adjustments we have to make on Saturday are more about intensity and being able to execute and keep our energy high at all times no matter what the score is. Down or up, just trying to maintain a balance and I think that’s going to give us a good chance to move on in the tournament.”
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKWomensTennis, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
