ORLANDO – Three members of the UCF women's tennis team wrapped up their first competition of the fall, as Jantje Tilbuerger, Noel Saidenova and Sophia Biolay concluded their time at the ITF W15 Lubbock pro tournament.
Freshman Tilbuerger made it the furthest of the Knight trio, reaching the quarterfinals of the first of seven professional tournaments on the schedule for the Black and Gold this fall. Tilbuerger went toe-to-toe with top-seeded Martyna Kubka and took the first set by a score of 6-4. Kubka responded and won the ensuing two sets, finishing with a final of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Kubka is a top 500 player in the WTA and is ranked No. 65 in the ITF singles rankings.
Tilbuerger picked up some quality victories along her journey to the quarterfinals. She punched her ticket to the round of eight with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Kelly Keller, who is heading into her senior year at Arkansas and will likely be the No. 1 singles player for the Razorbacks this season. Tilbuerger earned a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Yekaterina Dmitrichenko, a Texas Tech freshman, in the round of 64.
Noel Saidenova earned a win in the tournament, topping fifth-seeded Lisa-Marie Rioux in a hard fought 4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-5) victory. Rioux finished her senior year at Oklahoma State ranked 37th in the nation in singles and concluded her career as a two-time All-American. Saidenova was topped by former Gator star McCartney Kessler, who finished 10th in the 2022 final singles rankings, by a score of 6-2, 6-3 in the round of 32.
Sophia Biolay was outdueled by the fourth-seeded Veronica Miroshnichenko, a fifth-year student and All-American at LMU, in the round of 64 by a score of 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).
The Knights will play in six more professional tournaments throughout the fall. While the professional tournaments don't count toward fall collegiate records, they do provide chances to play in quality matches to improve each player's pro rankings. Members of the Black and Gold will make stops in Hilton Head, Austin, Florence, Fort Worth, Champaign and Waco.
UP NEXT
Marie Mattel, Nandini Sharma and Jaleesa Leslie are currently taking part in the 2022 Fall Ranked Spotlight in Cary N.C. UCF's next chance at competing in pro tournaments will be on Sep. 26 when the ITF W15 Hilton Head and ITF W25 Austin draws begin.
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