CARY, N.C.– Florida was represented by Alicia Dudeney and Talia Neilson-Gatenby at ITA All-Americans on Tuesday afternoon. The Gators made it to the singles round of 32 after winning their singles contests on day one of qualifiers.
Alicia Dudeney kicked off the day with a 12:30 pm matchup against NC State’s Gabia Paskauskas. Dudeney was challenged from the start and shortly found herself trailing 5-1 to Paskauskas in the first set. However, Dudeney dug deep to make an incredible comeback, winning four games straight to tie the score at 5-5. In her pursuit to stay in the contest, Dudeney fought off several set points in favor of NC State reflecting her grit as a senior leader.
Once at 5-5, NC state pulled ahead again at 6-5 before Dudeney tied it up at six games all to force a tiebreaker. With her momentum on full display Dudeney soared through the first set tiebreak to close out 7(7)-6(2). The following two sets were also neck in neck but fell in favor of NC State at 7-5, 7-5. Dudeney was ultimately defeated 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 7-5, but her performance was nothing short of tough.
The second and final Florida matchup of the day was No. 122 Talia Neilson-Gatenby versus Leonie Moeller of Memphis. Neilson-Gatenby also saw signs of a challenge in set one falling 7-5 to Moeller. After losing her initial set, Neilson-Gatenby began to get more comfortable on the collegiate stage pulling ahead to take the second set 6-2.
With one set apiece, pressure was felt in the third and final set with a ticket to the main draw on the line. Freshman Neilson-Gatenby approached the set with an all-out effort but it wasn’t enough to overtake sophomore Leonie Moeller. Moeller closed out at 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 giving Neilson-Gatenby her first loss in Cary, N.C.
Due to the length of Dudeney’s singles match her doubles contest alongside Bente Spee resulted in a Florida loss by walkover.
Alicia Dudeney kicked off the day with a 12:30 pm matchup against NC State’s Gabia Paskauskas. Dudeney was challenged from the start and shortly found herself trailing 5-1 to Paskauskas in the first set. However, Dudeney dug deep to make an incredible comeback, winning four games straight to tie the score at 5-5. In her pursuit to stay in the contest, Dudeney fought off several set points in favor of NC State reflecting her grit as a senior leader.
Once at 5-5, NC state pulled ahead again at 6-5 before Dudeney tied it up at six games all to force a tiebreaker. With her momentum on full display Dudeney soared through the first set tiebreak to close out 7(7)-6(2). The following two sets were also neck in neck but fell in favor of NC State at 7-5, 7-5. Dudeney was ultimately defeated 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 7-5, but her performance was nothing short of tough.
The second and final Florida matchup of the day was No. 122 Talia Neilson-Gatenby versus Leonie Moeller of Memphis. Neilson-Gatenby also saw signs of a challenge in set one falling 7-5 to Moeller. After losing her initial set, Neilson-Gatenby began to get more comfortable on the collegiate stage pulling ahead to take the second set 6-2.
With one set apiece, pressure was felt in the third and final set with a ticket to the main draw on the line. Freshman Neilson-Gatenby approached the set with an all-out effort but it wasn’t enough to overtake sophomore Leonie Moeller. Moeller closed out at 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 giving Neilson-Gatenby her first loss in Cary, N.C.
Due to the length of Dudeney’s singles match her doubles contest alongside Bente Spee resulted in a Florida loss by walkover.
The main draw of ITA All-Americans will begin Wednesday with Florida’s Emily De Oliveira competing. De Oliveira received a main draw entry after winning the ITA regionals in the fall of 2023 and holding a top-30 ranking. De Oliveira will take on South Carolina’s Sarah Hamner who is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation. The match time has yet to be determined.
Head Coach Roland Thornqvist Says:
Coach Thornqvist on Alicia Dudeney’s progress after injury and on-court battle:
“Lissy continues her journey back from her injuries and although she’s super disappointed with the…
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