Women's Tennis Opens Play at ITA Cup, Two Doubles Teams Advance to Quarterfinals

(ROME, Ga.) - Four members of the Carnegie Mellon University women's tennis team opened play on Thursday at the 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup being held at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

First-year Crystal Zhou (Austin, Texas / LASA) started play on Thursday morning for the Tartans in singles play. The unseeded Tartan drew University Athletic Association (UAA) counterpart and second seeded Eliza McPherron from Emory University. Zhou came out strong and forced a tiebreaker in the first set before fall 7-6 (6). She then lost the second set 6-0. Zhou then faced Miranda Yuan of the University of Chicago, another UAA counterpart, in the in the consolation quarterfinal match of singles play. The first-year defeated Yuan in straight sets, winning 6-3, 6-2.

In doubles play, senior Lindy Cornwall (Poway, Calif. / Poway) and junior Bin Zheng (Miami, Fla. / Doral Academy), the top seed, played Emma Cartledge and Jessica Fatemi from Emory and won the first set 6-2. Cartledge and Fatemi then forced a third set super tiebreaker after winning set two 6-3. In the super tiebreaker, Cornwall and Zheng won 11-9 to advance to the quarterfinal match

The Tartans had a second tandem compete, as Zhou paired with classmate Ava Givone (Delray Beach, Fla. / Oxbridge Academy) and also advanced to the quarterfinals. The tandem dropped its first set 6-3 to the duo of Jenny Landells and Charlotte Roarty from The College of New Jersey before winning 6-2 in the second. Zhou and Givone then took the super tiebreaker by the score of 10-5.

Play resumes Friday at 9:00 a.m. with the singles consolation semifinal followed by doubles play.