LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Alisia Manolescu and Natasha Munday combined to go 9-1 in singles, with Munday winning the Flight 2 Singles title and Manolescu advancing to the Main Draw semifinals, highlighting a terrific week at the ITA Mountain Regionals for UNM women’s tennis. Overall, seven players went a combined 18-8 in singles for UNM, with six players winning at least two matches.
Manolescu, a freshmen in her first ITA regional tournament, went 4-1, advancing from the round of 64 to the semifinals. She opened up her tournament against Vanessa Tim of Boise State, and handily won 6-1, 6-3, where she advanced to face another Mountain West compatriot in Roos Van Reek of Nevada. This match was very different with Manolescu winning going away after dropping the first set, winning 5-7, 7-5, 6-1. That moved her into the round of 16, where she faced off with Olivia Oosterbaan of Montana, and Manolescu came away with a straight set 6-3, 6-4 win to move into the quarterfinals.
It was there she faced her first power-5 opponent in Utah’s Madeline Lamoreaux, and it looked ugly early, as Lamoreaux made quick work of the first set, hammering down a 6-0 win. However, Manolescu might be a freshman, but she doesn’t look it or act it. She was able to regroup and quickly turned the tables into a stunning 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 win, moving into the semifinals and one win from a national tournament berth. Alas, it wasn’t to be as another Pac-12 opponent awaiting in Colorado’s Sara Nayar. Manoluscu won the first set but couldn’t finish it off, falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In the main draw, Manolescu was joined by Bronte Murgett, who won a pair of matches to advance in to the round of 16. She beat Utah State’s Carolina Millan 6-0, 6-1 and Colorado’s Monica Malinen 6-4, 6-4 to set up a match with top-seeded Chiara Tomasetti of Northern Arizona. That was the end of Murgett’s run as she lost 6-4, 6-3.
Also in the main draw, Yue Lin Chen, Hsiang-Wen Huang and Danielle Quevedo all lost opening round matches, although Chen and Huang then won a pair in the backdraw, and Quevedo got a win there as well.
In the Flight 2 draw, it was all Natasha Munday, who went a perfect 5-0 and then earned the title on an injury withdrawal. To get there, she opened with four consecutive straight set wins, starting with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Nevada’s Arina Gumerova in the round of 64. Next up was a familiar face in Alyssa Grijalva of Colorado State, and Munday showed no mercy in a 6-0, 6-2 drubbing. That moved her into the round of 16, where she took on Lauren Dunlap of Montana. There she faced her stiffest test, but still prevailed with relative ease 6-4, 6-2.
Into the quarterfinals, Munday battled against Utah State’s Renata Lombera and came away with a 6-3, 6-3 win, moving her to the semifinals against Weber State’s Cali Fuller, which turned into a de facto final. That match was tight throughout, but Munday took the win, and the title soon after with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win.
In doubles, Manolescu teamed with Huang to advance to the round of 16, and Myu Kageyama and Chen did likewise, with Manolescu and Huang winning twice and Kageyama and Chen once.
UNM’s final fall meet is at Cal State Northridge beginning November 8.
Main Flight Singles Results
R64 MANOLESCU, Alisia (New Mexico) def. TIMM, Vanessa (BSU) 6-1, 6-3
R64 HUNG, Lindsay (UU) def. CHEN, Yue Lin (New Mexico) 6-3, 6-3
R64 UKITA, Yuuna (WEB) def. HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1
R64 TATTINI, Madison (UU) def. QUEVEDO, Danielle (New Mexico) 6-2, 6-3
R32 MANOLESCU, Alisia (New Mexico) def. VAN REEK, Roos (NEV) 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
R32 MURGETT, Bronte (New Mexico) def. MILLAN, Carolina (USU) 6-0, 6-1
R16 MANOLESCU, Alisia (New Mexico) def. OOSTERBAAN, Olivia (MON) 6-3, 6-4
R16 MURGETT, Bronte (New Mexico) def. MALINEN, Monica (COL) 6-4, 6-4
QF MANOLESCU, Alisia (New Mexico) def. LAMOREAUX, Madeline (UU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-4
QF TOMASETTI, Chiara (NAU) def. MURGETT, Bronte (New Mexico) 6-4, 6-3
SF NAYAR, Sara (COL) def. MANOLESCU, Alisia (New Mexico) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Main Singles Backdraw Results
CUSICK, Kate (BYU) def. QUEVEDO, Danielle (New Mexico) 6-4, 7-6
CHEN, Yue Lin (New Mexico) def. ASTIE, Emilee (BYU) 6-4, 6-3
KUO, Pei-Hsuan (WEB) def. KAGEYAMA, Myu (New Mexico) 6-3, 6-3
HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) def. ALAJBEGOVIC, Sara (UNLV) 6-1, 6-3
CHEN, Yue Lin (New Mexico) def. CONDE VENDRELL, Ana (BSU) 6-1, 7-6
QUEVEDO, Danielle (New Mexico) def. STEFAN, Jessica (SUU) 2-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-5)
HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) def. ROYO, Ana (WYO) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
Flight Two Singles Results
R64 KAGEYAMA, Myu (New Mexico) def. MOORE, Madison (NAU) 6-2, 6-1
R64 MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) def. GUMEROVA, Arina (NEV) 6-2, 6-2
R32 KAGEYAMA, Myu (New Mexico) def. MORA, Rafa (NOCO) 6-3, 6-4
R32 MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) def. GRIJALVA, Alyssa (CSU) 6-0, 6-2
R16 JIAO, Helen (BYU) def. KAGEYAMA, Myu (New Mexico) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
R16 MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) def. DUNLAP, Lauren (MON) 6-4, 6-2
QF MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) def. LOMBERA, Renata (USU) 6-3, 6-3
SF MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) def. FULLER, Cali (WEB) 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
CH MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) wins title by default
Doubles Results
R64 MANOLESCU, Alisia/HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) def. LOMBARDI, Megan/FULLER, Cali (WEB) 8-6
R32 JONES, Hannah/LAVATAI, Sidnee (USU) def. MURGETT, Bronte/MUNDAY, Natasha (New Mexico) 8-7
R32 MANOLESCU, Alisia/HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) def. PURKISS, Chloe/STEFAN, Jessica (SUU) 8-6
R32 KAGEYAMA, Myu/CHEN, Yue Lin (New Mexico) def. McCUTCHEON, Mae/TIMM, Vanessa (BSU) 8-5
R16 TOMASETTI, Chiara/HAAKANSSON, Emilie (NAU) def. MANOLESCU, Alisia/HUANG, Hsiang-Wen (New Mexico) 8-3
R16 JONES, Meredith/FUMAGALLI, TJ (AFA) def. KAGEYAMA, Myu/CHEN, Yue Lin (New Mexico) 8-5