Pedroso Wins First Round Match at ITA Midwest Regionals

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Akron sophomore Rita Pedroso (Porto, Portugal) captured a win in the first round of qualifying singles play at the 2017 ITA Midwest Regional Championships, presented by Oracle, at the Varsity Tennis Center on Thursday.

She defeated Detroit's Chelsea Apawti, 7-5, 7-6 (5). In second round action, Pedroso faced off against the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Eastern Illinois' Rachel Papavasilopoulos who captured a 6-2, 6-2 win.

"Tough day today. We had some extremely tight matches against strong opponents, but ultimately, we couldn't find ways to pull through in the end on most of the courts," head coach Brandon Padgett said. "Rita fought through and picked up a good win in her first match, but wasn't able to take down an excellent player in the #2 seed."

Three other Zips participated in Friday's first round of qualifying singles play. Senior captain Carli Knezevich (Austin, Texas) fell to Ohio State's Andrea Ballinger in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.

Freshman Anna Uljanov (Schweinfurt, Germany) lost to Toledo's Mimi Kendall-Woseley in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.

Freshman Madison Wolfe (Monument, Colo.) fell to Toledo's Colleen O'Brien, 7-5, 6-4.

Hosted by the University of Michigan, the six-day tournament continues on Friday, Oct. 13, with the qualifying singles round of 16. The eight finishers will advance to Saturday's first round main draw. The first two rounds of main draw doubles action will take place on Friday, beginning at 2 p.m. Freshmen Uljanov and Wolfe take on Toledo's Mimi Kendall-Woseley and Dee Dee Leenabanchong, while Knezevich and Pedroso face Michigan's Lera Patiuk and Bella Lorenzini.

"Doubles has been a difficult task for us this fall, as we continue to work through new teams and work our freshmen into the mix, but hopefully their hard work will pay off tomorrow," Padgett said.

The complete schedule is listed below. In a change from past years, the tournament will be held outdoors if weather allows since the national tournament is now an outdoor tournament. Admission to the event is FREE at the University of Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center

2017 ITA MIDWEAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Varsity Tennis Center | Ann Arbor, MI

Thursday, Oct. 12
Qualifying Singles First Round
Andrea Ballinger (Ohio State) def. Carli Knezevich (AKR), 7-5, 4-6, 7-5
Mimi Kendall-Woseley (Toledo) def. Anna Uljanov (AKR), 6-3, 6-1
Colleen O'Brien (Toledo) def. Madison Wolfe (AKR), 7-5, 6-4
Rita Pedroso (AKR) def. Chelsea Apawti (Detroit), 7-5, 7-6 (5)

Qualifying Singles Second Round
#2 seed Rachel Papavasilopoulos (EIU) def. Rita Pedroso (AKR), 6-2, 6-2

Friday, Oct. 13
9 a.m.             Qualifying Singles Round of 16 (eight players will qualify for main draw)
2 p.m.             Main Draw Doubles First Round
                       Anna Uljanov/Madison Wolfe (AKR) vs. Mimi Kendall-Woseley/Dee Dee Leenabanchong (UT)
                       Carli Knezevich/ Rita Pedroso (AKR) vs. Lera Patiuk/Bella Lorenzini (Michigan)

To follow        Main Draw Doubles Second Round

Saturday, Oct. 14
9 a.m.            Doubles Main Draw Round of 16
To follow        Singles Main Draw First Round
To follow        Singles Main Draw Second Round

Sunday, Oct. 15
10 a.m.          Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinals
To follow        Doubles Main Draw Semifinals
1 p.m.            Singles Main Draw Round of 16

Monday, Oct. 16
9 a.m.             Doubles Main Draw Championship
10:30 a.m.     Singles Main Draw Quarterfinals
1:30 p.m.       Singles Main Draw Semifinals

Tuesday, Oct. 17
10 a.m.           Singles Main Draw Championship

*schedule subject to change

Midwest Region Teams
Michigan (host), Akron, Bowling Green, Chicago State, Cleveland State, DePaul, Detroit, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois, Marquette, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Toledo, Western Michigan, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Youngstown State

The University of Akron Athletics

Pedroso Wins First Round Match at ITA Midwest Regionals

Players Mentioned

Carli Knezevich

Rita Pedroso

Anna Uljanov

Madison Wolfe

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