Michigan
ITA Midwest Regional Championships
Miller Sweeps Titles at ITA Midwest Regional
10/17/2023 12:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (MSU Indoor Tennis Center) and Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Event: ITA Midwest Regional Championships
Result: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Wed-Sun., Nov. 1-5 -- at ITA Fall National Championships (San Diego, Calif.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Kari Miller of the University of Michigan women's tennis team knocked off teammate Julia Fliegner in the singles championship match of the ITA Midwest Regional Championship on Tuesday morning (Oct. 17) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The first four days were held at Michigan State, with Fliegner and Miller playing at home to conclude the event.
Miller took the first set, winning the final five games for a 6-3 victory. After falling behind a break at 3-1, Miller held at 3-2 and cashed in on her second break point in the next game to even the score at 3-3. She won the final three games, rallying from a 0-40 deficit on her serve in the final game to win on the deuce point.
Fliegner grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second set, but Miller again had an answer. She won six of the seven games to complete the 6-3, 6-3 win for the second ITA Midwest Regional singles title of her career.
A Michigan Wolverine has won the singles title at this event every year since 2013, with no tourney held in 2020. Both Fliegner and Miller have earned automatic qualification into the ITA Fall National Championships.
Miller and Jaedan Brown combined to win the doubles title, marking U-M's first doubles regional championship since 2019. Brown and Miller, ranked No. 4 nationally as a duo, were the region's top seed. After receiveing a bye in the first round, the Wolverines did not yield more than five games across their first three matches. They secured an 8-6 win over Northwestern's Justine Leong and Christina Hand, ranked No. 26 nationally, in the semifinals when NU double-faulted on match point as U-M avoided a tiebreaker.
In the championship match, Miller and Brown recovered from a slow start to eventually force a breaker. They were down 5-2 before winning four of the next five games, getting back on serve at 5-6 and holding at 6-6. Both teams held in the ensuing games to head to the deciding tiebreaker. U-M raced out to a 4-0 lead and cashed in on its second match point to earn the automatic berth to the ITA Fall National Championships.
Michigan was dominant in singles action in the tournament, with all eight Wolverine participants automatically in the main draw. All eight won at least one match, with U-M accounting for five of the eight quarterfinalists.
Miller knocked off Gala Mesochoritou in the quarters, with Fliegner eliminating Bayley Sheinin as the Wolverines were forced to play each other. Brown fell to No. 57-ranked Maria Sholokhova of Wisconsin, who Fliegner beat in three sets (5-4, 5-7, 6-1) in the semifinals to set up her match against Miller. Miller, the 2021 ITA Midwest Regional singles champion, punched her ticket to the championship match by knocking off No. 16-ranked Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. It marked the eighth time Cantos Siemers and Miller have squared off over their careers and already the second time this season.
Michigan will wrap up the fall portion of its schedule next time out, competing at the ITA Fall National Championships (Nov. 1-5) and the Arizona State Invitational (Nov. 3-5).
Singles Main Draw
No. 16 Jaedan Brown
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Sydney Pratt (Northwestern), 7-6 (2), 6-3Â
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Liisa Vehvilainen (Michigan State), 6-2, 6-2
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Rylie Hanford (Notre Dame), 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- l. No. 57 Maria Sholokhova (Wisconsin), 6-3, 6-3
No. 24 Kari Miller
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Nevena Kolarevic (Illinois State), 6-0, 7-6 (4)
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Lindsey Zieglar (Western Michigan), 6-2, 6-3
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Alina Murkhotrova (Wisconsin), 6-3, 6-2
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- d. Gala Mesochoritou (U-M), 6-3, 6-0
Semifinals (Oct. 16) -- d. No. 16 Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Final (Oct. 17) -- d. No. 41 Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-3, 6-3
No. 41 Julia Fliegner
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Yashna Yellayi (Notre Dame), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Rosie Garcia Gross (Wisconsin), 6-4, 6-0
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Teah Chavez (Ohio State), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- d. Bayley Sheinin (U-M), 6-2, 6-1
Semifinals (Oct. 16) -- d. No. 57 Maria Sholokhova (Wisconsin), 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
Final (Oct. 17) -- l. No. 24 Kari Miller (U-M), 6-3, 6-3
No. 80 Lily Jones
First Round (Oct. 13) -- vs. Nibedita Ghosh (Notre Dame), 6-2, 6-3
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Karin Hamilton (Western Michigan), 6-3, 6-1
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- l. Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 7-5, 6-2
No. 82 Gala Mesochoritou
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Sanjana Tallamraju (Toledo), 6-2, 7-5
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Kathryn Treiber (Illinois), 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Shelly Bereznyak (Ohio State), 6-2, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (2)
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- l. Kari Miller (U-M), 6-3, 6-0
Piper Charney
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Luciana Perry (Ohio State), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Katherine Duong (Illinois), 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (4)
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- l. Maria Sholokhova (Wisconsin), 6-4, 6-2
Reese Miller
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Sabina Brichackova (Eastern Michigan), 6-2, 6-0
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- l. Christina Hand (Northwestern), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Bayley Sheinin
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Eliska Masarikova (Youngstown State), 6-1, 6-2
Second Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Megan Heuser (Illinois), 6-4, 6-3
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Julia Andreach (Notre Dame), 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- l. Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-2, 6-1
Doubles Main Draw
No. 4 Kari Miller/Jaedan Brown
First Round (Oct. 13) -- BYE
Second Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Elisa Van Meeteren/Sydney Pratt (NU), 8-5
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Bojana Pozder/Akari Matsuno (Notre Dame), 8-4
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- d. Maria Shusharina/Britany Lau (Northwestern), 8-4
Semifinals (Oct. 15) -- d. No. 26 Justine Leong/Christina Hand (Northwestern), 8-6
Final (Oct. 16) -- d. Luciana Perry/Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 8-7 (3)
Bayley Sheinin/Julia Fliegner
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Lara Kaiser/Emma Davis (Marquette), 8-4
Second Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Jolene Fernandes/Sydney Stone (Valparaiso), 8-3
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- l. Luciana Perry/Irina Cantos Siemers (Ohio State), 8-4
Lily Jones/Piper Charney
First Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Andie Weise/Emilija Kojcic (Marquette), 8-1
Second Round (Oct. 13) -- d. Shalini Tallamraju/Audrey Moutama (Northern Illinois), 8-3
Third Round (Oct. 14) -- d. Akanksha Bahn/Audrey Spencer (Ohio State), 8-5
Quarterfinals (Oct. 15) -- l. No. 8 Megan Heuser/Katherine Duong (Illinois), 8-5
Players Mentioned
