CARY, N.C. – Vessa Turley and Tea Lukic are moving on in the pre-qualifying draw at the ITA All-American Championships after capturing two victories on Saturday. The Aztec duo advanced to the second round of pre-qualifying doubles while Lukic also advanced in singles.
Lukic kicked off the opening day of competition with her Aztec singles debut, taking on Liberty University’s Diana Ilie in a morning matchup. Lukic battled to a two-set victory, defeating Ilie 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4) to advance to Sunday’s round of 128.
Turley and Lukic then took the court for their first match as a doubles pair where they faced Erin Pearce and Nicole Weng out of Vanderbilt University. The Aztecs took the first set 7-5, but were tripped up 6-3 in the second before clinching the victory with a 10-5 tiebreaker. They will compete in the qualifying round of 16 on Sunday.
Freshman Azu Ichioka made her collegiate debut in singles play. The freshman fought to three sets against Miami’s Anna Perelman, but came up just short in a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6 decision.
Next up, Lukic will take on Georgia’s Bella Payne at 6 a.m. PT on Sunday. Lukic and Turley will then face Florida’s Nikola Daubnerova and Brooke Black at 1:30 p.m.
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