CARY, N.C. – Three members of the UCF women's tennis team wrapped up a successful weekend at the 2022 Fall Ranked Spotlight, the first collegiate even of the fall semester. Marie Mattel and Nandini Sharma took part in both the singles and doubles portion of the competition with Jaleesa Leslie participated in singles.
The tournament opened with doubles play on Friday and saw Mattel and Sharma play in a pair of matches. The Knight tandem's first match of the season went to the wire but were narrowly beaten by Arizona State's Giulia Morlet and Rachel Hanford in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-3). The Black and Gold tandem found better luck in their next matchup, topping Tennessee's Elza Tomase and Rebeka Mertena 6-3. Doubles weren't played again until Sunday, which saw Mattel and Sharma beat Michigan's Julia Fliegner and Lily Jones 6-2.
Mattel, who enters the fall at No. 90 in the singles rankings, began her run in the tournament with a pair of close losses on Friday in the A-1 singles draw. She fought nobly in her first contest of the draw, taking the first set from the nation's third-ranked Daria Frayman of Princeton by a count of 6-0. Frayman bounced back though, winning the match 0-6, 6-2, 6-4. Mattel faced Miami's No. 30 Daevenia Achong later in the day and partook in another thrilling three set match but was ultimately edged 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3). Mattel picked up a huge victory in her first match on Saturday, beating Tennessee's No. 27 Rebeka Mertena in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. Mattel was topped in her second match of Saturday by Virginia's No. 35 Julia Adams. Mattel bounced back in her final match of the tournament on Sunday, beating No. 60 Jaedan Brown in straight sets 6-4, 6-0.
Leslie started her tournament with a statement victory in the A-2 singles draw, beating Arizona State's No. 111 Hanford in a closely contested match by a score of 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4. Leslie was beaten in her ensuing match by Oklahoma's Garcia Ruiz by a score of 6-2, 6-2. Leslie's Saturday started with a tough three-set loss to Michigan's No. 125 Fliegner, falling by a score of 1-6, 6-2, 10-6. Leslie was topped in another hard-fought three-set battle by a score of 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 10-6 at the hands of Kansas' Tamari Gagoshidze. Leslie again fought until the very end in her final match on Sunday, but was edged by South Carolina's Ana Cruz 1-6, 6-3, 11-9.
Sharma opened her run in the A-2 singles draw with a three-set victory, coming from behind to beat Auburn's DJ Bennett 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Sharma was later topped by Texas A&M's Jeanette Mireles by a count of 6-1, 6-1. Sharma found herself in action in the North compass draw on Saturday and earned a pair of straight set victories, beating Arizona State's Patricija Spaka 6-4, 6-2 and Michigan's Jones 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. The pair of Saturday victories sent her to Sunday's match against Texas A&M's Gianna Pielet where she was topped by a score of 6-4, 6-2.
UP NEXT
The Knights have a pair of pro tournaments on the slate next, with the ITF W25 Austin and ITF W15 Hilton Head starting on Monday and running through Sunday. The next collegiate tournament on the schedule is the ITA All-American Championships, held in Cary, N.C. from Oct. 1-9.
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