LAS VEGAS – Sara Dahlstrom claimed a singles title for the Gators at the 2023 Freeman Memorial on Sunday to headline six victories for Florida women’s tennis.
The junior found herself matched-up with Oklahoma State’s Ayumi Miyamoto in the championship match of the Aria Draw and opened with a strong 6-4 set. Miyamoto responded with a 6-2 second set, but Dahlstrom put her foot on the pedal to pull away in the final frame, 6-4, to secure the draw title.
Dahlstrom wasn’t the only Gator to earn a crown, however, as the doubles tandem of Carly Briggs and Alicia Dudeney earned co-champion honors in the Luxor draw of the event. The pair was able to dominate their match against Kristina Novak and Alana Wolfberg of Oklahoma State, 6-1, for the victory. Emma Shelton and Sophie Williams also picked-up a victory as a pair, defeating Stanford’s Alexis Blokhina and Ana Geller in a thriller, 7-6, to end the event with a victory.
Elsewhere in singles, freshman Sophie Williams put on an impressive performance in earning her first ranked-win of the season. Williams began with a 6-3 opening-set victory over No. 121 Raquel Gonzalez of Oklahoma State before the Cowgirl responded with a 7-5 set of her own. Needing a strong finale, Williams delivered a 6-4 third frame for her winner.
Fellow freshman Rachel Gailis concluded her tournament with a victory as well, overtaking Cindy Hu of host school UNLV in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-0 for her first singles victory of the spring. Briggs secured a ranked-win for the Gators in a shortened contest, defeating No. 44 Blokhina (Stanford), 6-5, before the Cardinal retired due to injury.
The conclusion of the 2023 Freeman Memorial, which saw five ranked-victories for the Gators, marks the end of individual tournament play, as the focus now shifts to a dual match against South Florida on Sunday, Jan. 22 in Tampa.
Day Three Singles
Carly Briggs def. No. 44 Alexis Blokhina (Stanford): 6-5, ret.
No. 21 Savannah Broadus (Pepperdine) def. Alicia Dudeney: 6-0, 6-2
Rachel Gailis def. Cindy Hu (UNLV): 6-1, 6-0
Sara Dahlstrom def. Ayumi Miyamoto (Oklahoma State): 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Bente Spee: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Sophie Williams def. No. 121 Raquel Gonzalez (Oklahoma State): 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Day Three Doubles
No. 11 Elise Wagle/Kimmi Hance (UCLA) def. No. 58 Rachel Gailis/Bente Spee: 7-5
Alicia Dudeney/Carly Briggs def. Kristina Novak/Alana Wolfberg (Oklahoma State): 6-1
Emma Shelton/Sophie Williams def….
The junior found herself matched-up with Oklahoma State’s Ayumi Miyamoto in the championship match of the Aria Draw and opened with a strong 6-4 set. Miyamoto responded with a 6-2 second set, but Dahlstrom put her foot on the pedal to pull away in the final frame, 6-4, to secure the draw title.
Dahlstrom wasn’t the only Gator to earn a crown, however, as the doubles tandem of Carly Briggs and Alicia Dudeney earned co-champion honors in the Luxor draw of the event. The pair was able to dominate their match against Kristina Novak and Alana Wolfberg of Oklahoma State, 6-1, for the victory. Emma Shelton and Sophie Williams also picked-up a victory as a pair, defeating Stanford’s Alexis Blokhina and Ana Geller in a thriller, 7-6, to end the event with a victory.
Elsewhere in singles, freshman Sophie Williams put on an impressive performance in earning her first ranked-win of the season. Williams began with a 6-3 opening-set victory over No. 121 Raquel Gonzalez of Oklahoma State before the Cowgirl responded with a 7-5 set of her own. Needing a strong finale, Williams delivered a 6-4 third frame for her winner.
Fellow freshman Rachel Gailis concluded her tournament with a victory as well, overtaking Cindy Hu of host school UNLV in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-0 for her first singles victory of the spring. Briggs secured a ranked-win for the Gators in a shortened contest, defeating No. 44 Blokhina (Stanford), 6-5, before the Cardinal retired due to injury.
The conclusion of the 2023 Freeman Memorial, which saw five ranked-victories for the Gators, marks the end of individual tournament play, as the focus now shifts to a dual match against South Florida on Sunday, Jan. 22 in Tampa.
Day Three Singles
Carly Briggs def. No. 44 Alexis Blokhina (Stanford): 6-5, ret.
No. 21 Savannah Broadus (Pepperdine) def. Alicia Dudeney: 6-0, 6-2
Rachel Gailis def. Cindy Hu (UNLV): 6-1, 6-0
Sara Dahlstrom def. Ayumi Miyamoto (Oklahoma State): 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Bente Spee: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Sophie Williams def. No. 121 Raquel Gonzalez (Oklahoma State): 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Day Three Doubles
No. 11 Elise Wagle/Kimmi Hance (UCLA) def. No. 58 Rachel Gailis/Bente Spee: 7-5
Alicia Dudeney/Carly Briggs def. Kristina Novak/Alana Wolfberg (Oklahoma State): 6-1
Emma Shelton/Sophie Williams def….
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