SAN DIEGO – Vessa Turley and Tea Lukic punched their ticket to the doubles championship at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships after capturing a hard-fought win in the semifinals on Sunday. The duo will compete for the tournament title, as well as a bid to the NCAA Doubles Championships, at the Aztec Tennis Center on Monday.
After a first-round bye, Turley and Lukic earned three wins on Friday and Saturday to claim their spot in Sunday’s semifinals. Facing off against fourth-seeded Jessica Bernales and Olivia Center out of UCLA, the fifth-seeded Aztecs battled to a narrow 7-6 (7-4) victory in the first set before clinching with a 6-3 win in the second set.
The Aztecs will hit the court at 9 a.m. on Monday, where they will take on UCLA’s Polina Marakhtanova and Koronayashe Rugara. The winner of the match will earn an automatic qualification to November’s NCAA Doubles Championship in Athens, Ga.
Two Aztecs also earned victories in consolation matches on Sunday. Teja Tirunelveli and Constanza Fernandez Rincon defeated Cal State Fullerton’s Dana Kunza and Stina Larsson 6-1 in doubles competition, while Fernandez Rincon also took down Helene Schnack out of LMU by a score of 6-4 in singles play.
Day Four Results
Doubles Semifinals
Vessa Turley/Tea Lukic (SDSU) def. Jessica Bernales/Olivia Center (UCLA) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Doubles Consolation
Teja Tirunelveli/Constanza Fernandez Rincon (SDSU) def. Dana Kunza/Stina Larsson (Fullerton) 6-1
Singles Consolation
Constanza Fernandez Rincon (SDSU) def. Helene Schnack (LMU) 6-4