TUCSON, Ariz. – Lobos Susan Baklini, Rachana Bhat, and Sharon Coone completed the first day of singles competition at the 2014 Wildcat Invitational with an impressive 4-1 record.
Bhat went 2-0 in singles action while Baklini claimed an impressive win over Wildcat senior Laura Oldham. Bhat defeated Colorado State’s Aina Hernandez in the round of 16 (6-2, 6-3) and earned a spot in the Crimson Singles Draw semifinals after taking down Mississippi State senior Naomi Tran in the quarterfinals (6-4, 5-7, 6-3). Baklini, competing in the 8-draw White Singles bracket, defeated Oldham, 6-2, 6-2. She will also compete in the semifinals of her bracket on Saturday.
Freshman Sharon Coone also faired well on the first day of the invite finishing with a 1-1 singles record. Coone claimed a 6-2, 6-4 win over UTEP’s Lois Wagenvoort in the round of 16 in the Navy Singles draw, but dropped a 6-0, 6-2 match to UTSA’s Irene Gandara in the quarterfinals to end her run towards a singles title.
Baklini and Bhat came up short in doubles play as they dropped their first match to Marquette’s Erin Gebes and Ana Pimienta, 8-3. Coone teamed up with MSU’s Tran for doubles play. The mixed doubles duo tallied an 8-3 win over Northern Arizona’s Livi Hollosy and Meike Vorschel. Coone and Tran will compete in the doubles quarterfinals on Saturday.
“Today was a great opportunity for us to compete against some very talented opponents,” associate head coach Kelcy McKenna said. “Overall, we had an excellent day of competitive matches. Hopefully we can continue to improve as the tournament progresses and build on the things we did well moving into tomorrow.”
The Wildcat Invitational will resume on Saturday morning.
For updates throughout the weekend, head to the UNM Women’s Tennis Facebook page.