Michigan
ITA Super Regionals
Miller Wins ITA Midwest Regional Singles Championship
10/25/2021 1:40:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» Kari Miller rallied from a set down to knock off No. 7-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
» Miller's win marked the eighth straight title for Michigan at the event, coming from 2013-19 and 2021 (no event held in 2020). Kate Fahey has a pair, with Chiara Lommer, Brienne Minor, Ronit Yurovsky, Emina Bektas and Giulia Pairone accounting for the previous seven.
» Joining Miller at the event were Andrea Cerdan (semifinalist), Jaedan Brown (quarterfinalist), Julia Fliegner (Round of 16) and Merri Kelly (first round).
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Ty Tucker Tennis Center)
Event: ITA Midwest Super Regionals
Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun, Oct. 29-31 -- at South Carolina Invite (Columbia, S.C.), TBA
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sophomore Kari Miller of the University of Michigan women's tennis team rallied from a set down to claim the singles title at the ITA Midwest Super Regionals Monday afternoon (Oct. 25) at Ohio State's Ty Tucker Tennis Center. Miller defeated No. 7-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers of OSU, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Miller fought back after dropping the first set to take the second, 6-1. She broke Cantos on a deuce point in the second game for a 2-0 lead when her forehand went long, eventually taking a 4-0 lead. Cantos got a game back at 4-1, but Miller won the next two games to send the match to a third set.
In the third, Miller had three break points in the first game but was unable to convert as Cantos held to start. Following a hold of her own, Miller broke Cantos in the third game her forehand went wide and long. Miller backed up the break in the next game, grabbing a 3-1 advantage in the deciding set.
Miller fought off three game points in the next game, rallying from a 15-40 deficit to break Cantos for the second straight time and extend her lead to 4-1. The two players exchanged breaks the rest of the way as Miller converted on her second match point to wrap up the win.
Michigan has won the last eight singles titles at the event, a run that started in 2013. Kate Fahey has a pair, with Chiara Lommer, Brienne Minor, Ronit Yurovsky, Emina Bektas and Giulia Pairone accounting for the previous seven. There was not an event held in 2020.
Junior Andrea Cerdan joined Miller in the semifinals before falling to Cantos in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Cerdan punched her semifinals ticket by rallying for a three-set quarterfinal win over Northwestern's Maria Shusharina , 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Cerdan was down 4-2 in the second set before forcing the tiebreaker to send it to a third. She once again found herself down 4-1 in the third, winning the final five games to record the win.
Sophomore Jaedan Brown won a pair of matches against Northwestern opponents, Hannah McColgan and Briana Crowley, before falling to a third Wildcat in the quarterfinals. No. 90-ranked Clarissa Hand ended Brown's run with a three-set win, but Miller returned the favor for her teammate in the next round as she dispatched of Hand in straight sets.
Freshman Julia Fliegner and Merri Kelly also competed at the event, with Fliegner winning her first-round match against Michigan's State's Nicole Stephens and an extra match on the final day against Julia Andreach of Notre Dame.
Miller and Brown teamed up to win a doubles match to reach the quarterfinals of the main draw but fell in a tiebreak, 7-3, to bow out to McColgan and Sydney Pratt of Northwestern.
Singles Main Draw
No. 31 Kari Miller
First Round (Oct. 22) -- d. Tijana Zlatanovic (Illinois State), 6-1, 6-2
Second Round (Oct. 23) -- d. Sydni Ratliff (Ohio State), 6-0, 6-4
Quarterfinals (Oct. 23) -- d. Lucia Marzal (Ohio State), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Semifinals (Oct. 24) -- d. No. 90 Clarissa Hand (Northwestern), 6-2, 6-2
Championship (Oct. 25) -- d. No. 7 Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
No. 122 Jaedan Brown
First Round (Oct. 22) -- d. Hannah McColgan (Northwestern), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (4)
Second Round (Oct. 23) -- vs. Briana Crowley (Northwestern), 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Quarterfinals (Oct. 23) -- l. No. 90 Clarissa Hand (Northwestern), 6-7 (3), 6-3, 7-5
Andrea Cerdan
First Round (Oct. 22) -- d. Lina Ali (Ohio State), 6-4, 6-4
Second Round (Oct. 23) -- d. No. 113Â Xinyu Cai (Wisconsin), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Quarterfinals (Oct. 23) -- d. Maria Shusharina (Northwestern), 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4
Semifinals (Oct. 24) -- l. No. 7 Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Merri Kelly
First Round (Oct. 22) -- l. Mary Lewis (Michigan State), 6-4, 6-3
Julia Fliegner
First Round (Oct. 22) -- d. Nicole Stephens (Michigan State), 6-3, 6-1
Second Round (Oct. 23) -- l. No. 7 Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 6-1, 6-2
Extra Match (Oct. 24) -- d. Julia Andreach (Notre Dame), 6-3, 6-7, 1-0 (6)
Doubles Main Draw
Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller
Round of 16 (Oct. 22) -- d. Ashley Yeah/Megan Heuser (Illinois), 8-3
Quarterfinals (Oct. 22) -- l. Hannah McColgan/Pratt (Northwestern), 8-7 (3)
Julia Fliegner/Merri Kelly
Round of 16 (Oct. 22) -- l. Maya Pietrowicz/Mary Lewis (Michigan State), 8-7 (3)
Players Mentioned
