CARY, N.C. – The Tennessee pair of Catherine Aulia and Elza Tomase each secured singles victories at the 2024 ITA All-American Championships on Thursday, advancing to the Round of 16 at Cary Tennis Park.
In the singles main draw Round of 32, No. 62 Elza Tomase earned the highest-ranked win of her career, powering past No. 3 Celia-Belle Mohr of Vanderbilt, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0. The senior topped her previous highest against No. 8 Ayana Akli of South Carolina, 6-4, 6-3 on April 9, 2023.
The Liepaja, Latvia, native collected her fourth straight win of the tournament and her third victory over a ranked foe of the early season. Tomase advanced to the Round of 16, in which she will meet USC’s No. 16 Grace Piper on Friday.
“Elza has been playing very well this week in Cary,” assistant coach Elizabeth Scotty said. “Mohr is very good and battled hard in the second (set) to force a third (set). The most important takeaway is that Elza was able to stay mentally focused and trusted her game even when points didn’t fall in her favor. She played a pretty close to perfect third set and relied on her power to take control for the win.”
No. 81 Aulia also snagged a victory in the singles main draw Round of 32. The junior claimed a three-set triumph versus No. 38 Shavit Kimichi of Duke, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Aulia has amassed four straight victories over the course of the tournament, taking down four ranked competitors. She is set to face Oklahoma State’s Oby Ange Kajuru in the Round of 16 on Friday.
“Cat has been really scrappy getting the job done in three sets these last few matches,” Scotty shared. “When she hits her ball confidently her variety is extremely tough for her opponents to handle. She did a great job in the third set playing within herself but taking chances when she had them. Overall super proud of their high-level performances today!”
The duo completed the day with a victory in the consolation doubles bracket, moving on to the quarterfinals. No. 23 Aulia and Tomase posted a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win against No. 10 Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva from LSU. The Lady Vol duo will return to action after a bye to face No. 5 Maria Sholokova and Alina Mukhortova from Wisconsin.
Results:
Singles
#62 Elza Tomase def. #3 Celia-Belle Mohr 6-1, 5-7, 6-0
#81 Catherine Aulia def. #38 Shavit Kimichi 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Doubles
#23 Aulia/Tomase def. #10 Erickson/Sahdiieva 7-6(5), 6-2
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