CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The FIU women's tennis team notched its first top-25 win of the season on Sunday after downing No. 18 UCLA, 4-1, in the ITA Kickoff Consolation match at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Freshman
Katerina Mandelikova record the clincher in No. 5 singles to secure the win, as FIU moves to 2-1 on the season while the 18
th-ranked Bruins drop to 1-2 after the weekend.
"Today was a great team effort to finish the weekend strong against a quality opponent in UCLA," said head coach
Katarina Petrovic. "We fought on all courts and showed our competitiveness at its very best down the stretch."
The win marks FIU's first over a top-25 opponent since dropping No. 19 UCF in Miami on Feb. 21, 2022, while also serving as its first over UCLA in its first all-time meeting with the Bruins.
The Panthers secured the early advantage over the Bruins after tallying wins in No. 3 and No. 1 doubles, including a top-15 ranked doubles win for
Ekaterina Khairutdinova and
Kamila Umarova to remain unbeaten (2-0), to hold the 1-0 lead.
Salma Loudili and
Katerina Mandelikova rang in the first doubles win over UCLA's Vanessa Ong and Sasha Vagramov, 6-3, prior to Khairutdinova and Umarova prevailing for a 7-5 victory over Bruins' 11
th-ranked tandem of Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle.
FIU then carried the momentum into singles, nabbing first-set wins on four courts prior to seeing Khairutdinova and Loudili push the lead.
No. 106
Kamila Umarova fell to No. 42 Ava Catanzarite, 3-6, 1-6, to knot the match, though, the two Panther newcomers rebounded to push a 3-1 lead, as
Ekaterina Khairutdinova picked up a top-50 win in straight sets over No. 46 Hance, 6-3, 6-0, on the No. 2 court before Loudili added a 6-3, 6-1, effort over over Vagramov in No. 6 singles.
Shortly after, Mandelikova would break UCLA's Ong to secure the winner with a 6-2, 6-3, straight-set decision to conclude the match in FIU's favor.
UP NEXT
FIU returns to action for its home opener on Saturday, Feb. 11, as the Panthers welcome North Florida to the FIU Tennis Courts. First serve is slated for a 12 p.m. start.
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