Aggie Invitational Draws (updated through day one)
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Taking part in its first event of the fall, the NM State women's tennis team received a multitude of fine performances across doubles and singles action during day one of the Aggie Invitational Friday at the NM State Tennis Complex.
DOUBLES
• Both of the Aggies' doubles pairings enjoyed great success in their opening matches of the invite.
• Melissa Cartis and Bella Nguyen made short work of Arizona Christian's tandem of Deondra Bacchus and Vittoria Quadri, claiming a 6-2 triumph to move on to the round of 16.
• Elsewhere down the bracket, Gave Kalaga and Miranda Bishard cruised to a 6-1 win against NMMI's Linda Claire Eloundou Nga and Manuella Peguy Eloundou Nga. Bishard and Kalaga joined Cartis and Nguyen in the doubles round of 16.
• NM State's other pair of doubles teams - Harsha Challa and Georgia Townsend as well as Chloe Gavino and Mingfang Zhu - help NM State boast one quarter of the entire round of 16.
SINGLES
• Four of the seven NM State singles competitors remain in line for individual championships in their respective brackets.
• Of the three NM State competitors in the Crimson Flight, Challa and Gavino found themselves in the semifinals at the conclusion of the first day. Challa took out Quadri by a 6-2, 6-2 tally before finishing off a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) comeback triumph over New Mexico's Sanne Schalekamp in a quarterfinal showdown.
• Gavino experienced a similar run of success on day one, starting her time in the Crimson Flight with a 6-3, 6-3 win against UTEP's Lina Sachica. Though Abilene Christian's Ileana Mocciola
forced Gavino to play a third set, NM State's competitor was up to the challenge and earned a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4) victory to punch her ticket to the semifinals.
• The top seed in the White Flight, Zhu needed to play just one match Friday after receiving a bye into the quarterfinal round. In her quarterfinal matchup, Zhu was nearly flawless in her 6-1, 6-0 victory against Abilene Christian's Eva Arranz.
• Kalaga worked her way into the White Flight semifinals thanks to a 2-0 day. She started her run with a 6-1, 6-0 win against Western New Mexico's Julia Terrazas. From there, Kalaga dropped just three games in her 6-2, 6-1 victory over UTEP's Eve Daniels.
• Nguyen and Cartis were slotted in the Grey Flight, but neither made it to the quarterfinal round of the main draw. The former dropped a 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-1) decision to UTEP's Lyric Bonilla while Cartis lost her opening match of the day. From there, Cartis found her footing in the back draw by securing a 6-2, 6-2 win over Western New Mexico's Massiel Paredes.
• Townsend lost both her singles matches on day one.
COMING UP NEXT
• Day two of the Aggie Invitational is set for Saturday at the NM State Tennis Complex. Doubles action begins at 9:00 a.m. with singles bouts set to follow at 10:00 a.m.
• For complete coverage of NM State women's tennis throughout the 2021-22 season, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Women's Tennis), Twitter (@NMStateWTEN) and Instagram (@NMStateWTEN).
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