ALBUQUERUQUE, N.M. – University of New Mexico’s Susan Baklini and Rachana Bhat will represent the Lobos on the last and final day of the 2014 Wildcat Invitational as they both earned spots in the championship match of their singles brackets on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m really proud of Rachana and Susie,” associate head coach Kelcy McKenna said. “They have battled through two days of tough competition to earn a spot in the finals of their respective draws.”
Baklini claimed a three set win over Marquette’s Paula Tormos in the semifinals round of the White Singles Draw. After dropping the first set 6-7, Baklini turned things around and won the next two sets 6-1, 6-0. She will face Maddie Moore of Texas State in the final match on Sunday. Bhat also earned her spot in the championship match after winning a three set battle. She defeated UTSA’s Nicole Karaklis 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-1. Bhat will face off against Arizona’s Hanna Sohn in the Cardinal Singles final, also on Sunday.
Freshman Sharon Coone also competed in singles on Saturday, however she was not able to pick up the win. Coone dropped a 6-4, 6-4 match to Northern Arizona’s Sara Brown in a Navy Singles consolation match.
The Lobos finished the day 1-2 in doubles play. Baklini and Bhat lost a close quarterfinals consolation match to UTSA’s Alena Shichkova and Lina Hallgren, 8-7 (5). They ended the day with a 8-2 win over Colorado State’s Aina Hernandez Soler and Laia Hernandez Soler.
Coone paired up with Mississippi State’s Naomi Tran for doubles action. The duo lost a quarterfinals match to CSU’s Rebecca Costa and Madison Porter.
The Wildcat Invitational will resume on Sunday morning.
“Tomorrow is an opportunity to carry the momentum forward and continue to build on the positives from today,” McKenna said.