Oct. 7, 2011
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – University of Notre Dame women’s tennis player Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio) was greeted rudely in her opening match Thursday at the 2011 Riviera/ITA All-American Championship at the Riviera Tennis Club. The Irish senior fell to Baylor’s Sona Novakova in the round of 32 in singles main draw action.
In a complete reversal of the way the two player’s matchup went last year, Frilling, the third ranked player in the nation according to the ITA, captured the opening set of Thursday’s matchup, 6-4, to claim the early advantage. Novakova, however, returned the favor to Frilling from last year’s dual meet encounter, claiming the second and third sets (7-5, 6-4) to hand Frilling the loss in come-from-behind fashion.
With singles now behind both Frilling and her doubles teammate Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.), the fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded duo look to begin their doubles main draw on a high note Friday. The pairing squares off against Tennessee’s pairing of Brynn Boren and Sarah Toti, who advanced through the qualifying draw and won their opener in the main draw over UCLA’s team of Courtney Dolehide and Pamela Montez by retirement, 4-3.
The match is tentatively scheduled to get underway at noon (ET) with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Be sure to check back with und.com for a complete recap on how the Irish fared in their opening doubles match.
Riviera/ITA All-American Championship:
Thursday Results:
Singles Main Draw - Round of 32:#13 Sona Novakova (BU) def. #3 Kristy Frilling (ND) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
Friday Upcoming Match:
Doubles Main Draw - Round of 16:#5 Kristy Frilling / Shannon Mathews (ND) vs. Brynn Boren / Sarah Toti (UT)
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