CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –– Alabama’s Loudmilla Bencheikh and Petra Sedlackova concluded their season on Monday in the opening round of the NCAA Singles Championships at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex. Bencheikh fell 6-1, 6-2 to NC State’s Abigail Rencheli as Sedlackova dropped 6-3, 6-1 to Stanford’s Alexandra Yepifanova.
“Jonatan (Berhane), Keith (Swindoll) and I are proud of Loudmilla and Petra for earning their way in to the NCAA Singles Championships. They both showed a lot of improvement and growth this season and gained invaluable experience today competing with the best of the best. We’re optimistic that Lou and Petra will be back on this stage next year with more maturity and poise.”
Bencheikh, ranked 66th, faced the 48th ranked player in the country in the opening round. Despite falling 6-1, 6-2 to the Wolfpack sophomore, Bencheikh put together several long, contested games to force a fight every step of the way. The NCAA Singles Championships highlighted a successful sophomore campaign for Bencheikh who led the Crimson Tide at the No. 1 singles spot throughout the season. Bencheikh earned First Team All-SEC honors and capped the year with 15 wins, second most on the team.
Sedlackova jumped out to an early lead against 23rd ranked Yepifanova. The Stanford Cardinal, however, battled back to take the first set at 6-3 before fighting for a 6-1 victory in set two. The match capped Sedlackova’s freshman season. In addition to earning a spot at the NCAA Singles Championships, Sedlackova led the team in singles wins with 23 and advanced to the semifinals in the ITA Southern Regional Championships singles draw. She picked up Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman honors for her performance throughout the year and concluded the tournament ranked 68th in the latest ITA rankings.
Bencheikh and Sedlackova were the first UA pair to advance to the NCAA Singles Championships since 2016, marking the sixth time Alabama has sent two athletes to the singles tournament. The Tide has been represented in nine of the last 12 NCAA Singles Championships (there was no NCAA postseason tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
First Round Results:
Abigail Rencheli (NCST) def. Loudmilla Bencheikh (UA) 6-1, 6-2
Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) def. Petra Sedlackova (UA) 6-3, 6-1
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