San Diego, Calif. – South Carolina women’s tennis graduate Ayana Akli has advanced to the semifinals of the ITA National Fall Championships. She is the first Gamecock to advance this far since Megan Davies in 2019.
In her quarterfinal match, No. 7 Akli faced No. 31 Anika Yarlagadda of North Carolina. The two had a history going into the match, having faced at the NC State Ranked +1 in September with Yarlagadda coming out on top. Akli refused to let previous results stand in her way though, using it as motivation to dismantle the Tar Heel in a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Akli is now one of just four players remaining in the draw and will face Southern California’s Emma Charney in the semifinals. The match will take place on Sat. Nov. 4th at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Also in the quarterfinals, No. 25 Sarah Hamner represented the team. The Gamecock battled hard but could not find a way to upset No. 5 Reese Brantmeier of North Carolina. The Tar Heel took the match 6-4, 6-2 to knock Hamner out of the draw.
Draws and results for the National Fall Championships are available on the tournament webpage. Live stats for semifinal matches will be available here with live streaming available here.
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ITA National Fall Championship Results
Singles
(7) Ayana Akli (SC) vs. (31) Anika Yarlagadda (UNC) 6-2, 6-3
(5) Reese Brantmeier (UNC) def. (25) Sarah Hamner (SC) 6-4, 6-2