North Carolina
Wake Forest
No. 1 Carolina Moves Into ACC Semis
April 23, 2010 | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2010
CARY, N.C. --- No. 1 North Carolina advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Women's Tennis Championship with a 4-0 win over ninth-seeded Wake Forest Friday morning at Cary Tennis Park. Gina Suarez-Malaguti, Sophie Grabinski and Shinann Featherston scored singles victories for the Tar Heels, who will face fifth-seeded Florida State in Saturday's semis.
UNC (25-3) got an early spark from Featherston and Jocelyn Ffriend at No. 3 doubles that helped the Tar Heels to a 1-0 lead. The sophomore duo dominated from start to finish in an 8-1 victory over Sasha Kulikova and Ryann Cutillo.
The other two courts were slower to get going but ultimately the senior tandem of Sanaz Marand and Katrina Tsang outlasted Aileen Davis and Emilee Malvehy on court one, 8-5, to give Carolina the day's first point.
As has been the case throughout the spring, UNC leaned on its overall lineup depth to keep the upper hand in singles.
Suarez-Malaguti made it 2-0 in favor of the Tar Heels with her 6-1, 6-1 victory over Katarina Reveche on court four. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., standout won for the 11th time in 12 dual match appearances.
Featherston quickly pushed the advantage to 3-0, dropping just three games in defeating Davis, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 6. For Featherston, it was her team-leading 22nd victory of the spring against just three losses and her 10th win of the year over an ACC opponent.
The match would tighten up from there, however, as Wake Forest (11-14) took a set on each of the three upper courts.
But Grabinski, who took the opening set from Cutillo on court five, 6-4, rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the second to notch the clinching victory, 6-4, 7-5. The Carmel, Ind., senior improved to 19-3 in dual matches and a sparkling 12-1 at the No. 5 position.
Carolina advances to the ACC semifinals for the second year in a row and will face surprising winner Florida State, who upended fourth-seeded Duke, 4-2, on Friday. The Tar Heels and Seminoles met just five days ago, with UNC topping the visiting 'Noles, 4-0, in Chapel Hill.
First serve for Saturday's semifinal is set for 10 a.m. at the Cary Tennis Park. For more information, visit http://www.theacc.com/championships/10-tennis-championship.html.
No. 1 North Carolina 4, No. 53 Wake Forest 0
Doubles
1. Marand/Tsang (UNC) def. Davis/Malvehy (WF), 8-5
2. Grabinski/Durisic (UNC) vs. Reveche/Pavelec (WF), DNF
3. Featherston/Ffriend (UNC) def. Kulikova/Cutillo (WF), 8-1
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. #22 Sanaz Marand (UNC) vs. #47 Martina Pavelec (WF), DNF
2. #51 Katrina Tsang (UNC) vs. Sasha Kulikova (WF), DNF
3. Jelena Durisic (UNC) vs. Emilee Malvehy (WF), DNF
4. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) def. Katarina Reveche (WF), 6-1, 6-1
5. Sophie Grabinski (UNC) def. Ryann Cutillo (WF), 6-4, 7-5
6. Shinann Featherston (UNC) def. Aileen Davis (WF), 6-0, 6-3
Order of finish: 4, 6, 5
Players Mentioned
