Michigan
Oracle ITA National Fall Championships
Fahey Finishes as Singles Runner-Up at ITA Fall Nationals
11/11/2018 3:42:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» Kate Fahey advanced to the championship match of the ITA Fall Nationals before falling to No. 8 Katarina Jokic of Georgia, 6-3, 7-5.
» Chiara Lommer made a run to the singles backdraw final before dropping a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 decision to No. 24 Emily Arbuthnott of Stanford.
» Michigan has completed the fall portion of its season, during which each player competes as an individual. U-M will have one tournament in January before starting dual matches.
Site: Surprise, Ariz. (Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex)
Event: 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships
Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Sat-Mon., Jan. 19-21 -- Michigan Invitational (Varsity Tennis Center)
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Senior Kate Fahey finished as singles runner-up in the prestigious 2018 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships as the University of Michigan women's tennis team completed the fall portion of its schedule Sunday (Nov. 11) at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex. It was the first time a Wolverine has appeared in the championship match.
Fahey dropped a 6-3, 7-5 match to Georgia's Katarina Jokic, ranked No. 8, in the final that lasted nearly two hours. The two exchanged breaks to start the first set before each holding in the third and fourth games to tie the set at 2-2. Jokic held and then broke Fahey for a 4-2 lead, then kept the break over the next three games in a 6-3 first-set win.
Fahey jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, holding on her serve twice and breaking Jokic on a deuce point. Jokic answered with three straight games to get back on serve at 3-3. She broke Fahey again a couple games later, taking a 5-4 lead and heading back to serve out the match. Fahey was able to get the break and stay alive, knotting the set, 5-5. Jokic broke right back and then served out the match in next game, saving three break points to seal the 7-5 win.
Fahey ripped through the first three rounds of the main draw, defeating No. 95 Bojana Markovic, No. 62 McCartney Kessler and No. 76 Marta Gonzalez to set up a rematch with Pepperdine's Evgeniya Levashova, ranked No. 41, in the quarterfinals. Levashova ended Fahey's run at this fall's Oracle ITA Masters, but Fahey avenged that loss with a 7-5, 6-4 win.
In the semifinals, Fahey survived a three-set match over No. 2 Makenna Jones in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win.
Junior Chiara Lommer lost her first-round match in the singles main draw but found success in the backdraw, finishing as runner-up. It started with a win over Stanford's Michaela Gordon, who retired down a set and 2-0 in the second. Lommer ripped off a pair of straight-set wins on Friday (Nov. 9) to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Gonzaga's Sophie Whittle retired after facing a 5-0 first-set deficit.
In the backdraw championship, Lommer went up a break at 4-2 in the first set after winning the final three points of the game. Lommer battled back to hold serve in the next game for a 5-2 lead, but Arbuthnott answered with two straight games to get back on serve at 5-4. Lommer once again came through with a break, winning on a deuce point to take the first set, 6-4.
The second set featured three breaks of serve as Arbuthnott took advantage of the final break in a 6-4 second-set win.
It was more of the same in the third set as both players traded breaks to start before each holding for a 2-2 score. Arbuthnott came through with a break of Lommer to go up 3-2, igniting a four-game run for the Cardinal to seal a 6-2 third-set victory to claim the match.
Fahey teamed up with senior Brienne Minor in the doubles main draw and picked up a first-round win before falling in the second.
Minor and junior Giulia Pairone each won a first-round match in the singles main draw to advance to the round of 32 before falling in the second round. Pairone knocked off No. 5 Gabriela Knutson of Syracuse in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, to highlight her tournament.
Michigan has completed the fall portion of its schedule, with just one tournament remaining before turning its attention to dual-match action. U-M will next be in action Jan. 19-21 as host of the Michigan Invitational at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Singles Main Draw
Kate Fahey
First Round (Nov. 7) -- d. No. 95 Bojana Markovic (Texas), 6-4, 6-3
Second Round (Nov. 8) -- d. No. 62 McCartney Kessler (Florida), 6-0, 6-3
Third Round (Nov. 9) -- d. No. 76 Marta Gonzalez (Georgia), 6-3, 6-3
Quarterfinals (Nov. 9) -- d. No. 41 Evgeniya Levashova (Pepperdine), 7-5, 6-4
Semifinals (Nov. 10) -- d. No. 2 Makenna Jones (North Carolina), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Championship (Nov. 11) -- l. No. 8 Katarina Jokic (Georgia), 6-3, 7-5
Chiara Lommer
First Round (Nov. 7) -- l. Salma Ewing (Southern California), 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2)
Brienne Minor
First Round (Nov. 7) -- d. Paola Delgado (Virginia Commonwealth), 6-4, 6-2
Second Round (Nov. 8) -- l. Elysia Bolton (UCLA), 6-2, 6-3
Giulia Pairone
First Round (Nov. 7) -- d. No. 5 Gabriela Knutson (Syracuse), 6-2, 6-4
Second Round (Nov. 8) -- l. No. 70 Andie Daniell (Alabama), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Doubles Main Draw
Kate Fahey/Brienne Minor
First Round (Nov. 7) -- d. McCartney Kessler/Victoria Emma (Florida), 6-2, 7-6 (7)
Second Round (Nov. 8) -- l. Bolton/Hart (UCLA), 7-5, 6-3
Singles Consolation
Chiara Lommer
First Round (Nov. 8) -- d. No. 10 Michaela Gordon (Stanford), 6-4, 2-0 retired
Second Round (Nov. 9) -- d. Maria Genovese (Tyler JC), 6-4, 6-2
Third Round (Nov. 9) -- d. No. 28 Julia Rosenqvist (California), 6-1, 6-4
Semifinals (Nov. 10) -- d. No. 35 Sophie Whittle (Gonzaga), 5-0 retiredÂ
Championship (Nov. 11) -- l. No. 25 Emily Arbuthnott (Stanford), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
