MIDLAND, Texas — Rachana Bhat’s quest for 100 singles wins got off to a good start as Bhat earned a pair of wins to advance to the Round of 16 at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational in Midland, Texas, highlighting the weekend for the women’s tennis team.
Along the way, Bhat knocked off the No. 2 seed before losing in the round of 16. Her two wins gives her 76 singles wins in her career, which moved her into a tie for 11th on the all-time UNM singles wins list with Jennifer Toomy, who won 79 from 1987-90.
Bhat picked up wins over Alex Heczey in North Texas 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 64, and then in the next round she knocked off the No. 2 seed Olaya Garrido-Rivas 5-7, 6-3, 7-6. That sent her into the round of 16, when she dropped a 6-2, 6-4 decision to Abilene Christian’s Erin Walker.
Along with Bhat, the other Lobo to pick up a win was freshman Cassie Chung, who won a round of 64 match 6-4, 6-0 over UT Arlington’s Carla Cerdan. The win over Cerdan was her first collegiate win. Her tournament run was cut short when No. 3 seeded Katelyn Walker of Texas Tech defeated her 6-3, 6-1.
Diana Wong lost her opening round match to Penn State’s Dasha Sapagowa 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 and Andrea Leblanc was the No. 8 seed but lost 7-6, 6-1. Leblanc and Wong went into the consolation bracket, where Wong lost to TCU’s Madison Tedford 2-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6) and Leblanc retired to Mbalia Bangoura of Nebraska before the first set was completed.
In doubles play, due to Leblanc’s retirement, she and Bhat withdrew, leaving just Wong and Chung to compete, and they lost in their opening round match 8-7 to Jacqueline Zuhse and Bennett Dunn of Penn State.
The Lobos, under first year head coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada, will now split their team up four and four to head to the Colorado Invitational and the New Mexico State Invitational. Those tournaments run from September 23 through the 25.
Bhat Advances to Round of 16 at RC Invitational
