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HAMMOND — The second day of the Southland Individual Tennis Championships featured an exhilarating lineup of quarterfinal matches, showcasing the talent and tenacity of the competitors.
In a thrilling development during the women’s singles, Anna Kouchnareva of New Orleans achieved a stunning upset by overcoming the top-seeded Ana Veroux of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a score of 7-5, 6-4. No. 4 seed Sofia Salcedo from UIW advanced decisively past Nicholls’ Sophia Sarafova with a commanding 6-0, 7-5 performance, while SFA’s No. 2 Felicia Back triumphed over Southeastern’s Leana Gomez after dropping the first set, winning with a comeback of 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
Northwestern State’s No. 3 Honoka Umeda secured the last available quarterfinal win against Salome Fluri from McNeese, battling through to a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 finish.
In the women’s doubles quarterfinal, the top-seeded duo of Irene Cocero and Laura Wipfli from NJIT overcame the pairing of Anna Kouchnareva and Fleur Sprengers from New Orleans with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4. Meanwhile, No. 4 Ksenia Ramanouskaya and Yana Mykytyn of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi successfully dispatched Honoko Umeda and Zoi Spyrou from Northwestern State, fighting back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 10-6.
UIW’s No. 2 team of Lyric Bonilla and Sofia Salcedo rallied impressively to defeat Nicholls’ Aada Inna and Paulina Villegas, closing the match at 3-6, 6-4, 10-6, while the No. 3 pair Jemma Cave and Ksenia Mamontova from SFA advanced against McNeese’s Emma Hagi and Ana Hollweg with a solid score of 6-0, 6-3.
Cocero/Wipfli will face off against Ramanouskaya/Mykytyn, while Bonilla/Salcedo will meet Cave/Mamontova in the highly anticipated semifinals set to start Saturday at 11 a.m.
The men’s tournament kicked off their first day of singles play with all top seeds delivering strong performances.
New Orleans No. 4 Matthew Ambruster easily handled Santiago Serrano of UTRGV, winning convincingly 6-3, 6-1, while UIW’s No. 2 Emilio Vila outperformed Nicholls’ Kotaro Matsumara with a similar score of 6-3, 6-1. No. 3 Nathan Favier from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi captured the last singles victory of the day against Leon Nickel of Lamar, battling through a challenging match to achieve a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
Ambruster will advance to meet No. 1 Pablo Perez Ramos in the semifinal round on Saturday, while Vila and Favier are set to square off on the opposite side of the bracket. Those highly awaited matchups are slated to begin at 2 p.m.
In a surprising turn during the men’s doubles quarterfinals, the outcomes deviated from expectations with several notable upsets. UTRGV’s dynamic duo of Sam Whitehead and Ivo Isqueiro dismantled Nicholls’ Marcell Marki and Max Lindstedt with a decisive score of 6-3, 6-2. In another intense match, Matthew Ambruster and Marcus Mail from New Orleans triumphed over UIW’s No. 2 team of Alejandro Hernandez and Emilio Vila with a score of 6-2, 7-5. Harry Fouzas and Tom Berry from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi also secured a remarkable victory against No. 3 Fabian Anthin and Leon Nickel of Lamar, winning convincingly 6-1, 6-4.
Whitehead/Isqueiro are set to face No. 1 Pablo Perez Ramos and Will Jenkins of NJIT in the first semifinal match on Saturday, while Ambruster/Mail will meet Fouzas/Berry in the second semifinal. Both matches are scheduled to commence at 10 a.m.
Interview with Anna Kouchnareva following her stunning upset at the Southland Individual Tennis Championships
Editor: Good afternoon, Anna! Congratulations on your remarkable victory over Ana Veroux. How are you feeling after that match?
Anna Kouchnareva: Thank you so much! I’m feeling ecstatic and a bit exhausted. It was an intense match, and being able to come out on top against the top seed is incredibly thrilling.
Editor: You managed to take the match in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. What do you think made the difference for you today?
Anna: I think it was a combination of staying focused and playing aggressively. I knew I had to go for my shots and not back down, especially since she’s such a solid player. I kept reminding myself to trust my training and play my game.
Editor: Coming into the tournament as a lower seed, did you feel any added pressure going against the top seed?
Anna: Absolutely! There’s always a bit of pressure when you’re the underdog, but I viewed it as a challenge. I tried to keep my mindset positive and not overthink things. I just focused on each point.
Editor: Your next match will be in the doubles with Fleur Sprengers. How do you plan to approach that?
Anna: I’m really looking forward to it! We have a great dynamic, and I think we complement each other well on the court. We’ll need to communicate effectively and play strategically against the top-seeded duo.
Editor: The competition is heating up here at the championships. What are your goals moving forward in this tournament?
Anna: My main goal is to keep playing my best and take it one match at a time. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to compete and to continue improving my game throughout the tournament.
Editor: Well, we’ll be cheering for you! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, Anna.
Anna: Thank you! I really appreciate the support!
