D'Novo/ITA Men's All-American Championships Results
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- Caitlin Whoriskey of Tennessee stunned the college tennis world by knocking off top-seeded Maria Mosolova of Northwestern at the Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships in Thursday's first-round play.
The 27th-ranked Whoriskey received a wild card berth into the singles main draw after finishing off a stellar summer as a member of the prestigious United States Tennis Association (USTA) Summer Collegiate Team.
The tournament, hosted by the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the 25th consecutive year kicked off on Saturday, Oct. 3, with six rounds of pre-qualifying and qualifying singles and doubles leading up to today's main-draw competition.
Mosolova, the 2008 ITA National Women's Player to Watch, also has been the top-ranked women's singles player in the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Preseason Rankings for the past two years, making her an obvious favorite heading into the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships.
Whoriskey showed she was up to the challenge, dropping only four games in a quick, straight-sets victory over 2008 ITA All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year, Mosolova, 6-3, 6-1.
"I've really been training hard in the two weeks since our tournament at Furman, and it paid off today," Whoriskey said. "I had everything working for me, and I think I was able to take her by surprise a little bit. (Mosolova) is a great player, and I was very fortunate to have come out on top today. Hopefully I can keep it up for the rest of the week."
Whoriskey continued her success in doubles with partner Natalie Pluskota, dropping only two games in their first-round matchup. The Lady Vols claimed an 8-2 victory over the 15th-ranked Notre Dame combo of Kristy Frilling and Kali Krisik.
North Carolina's Sanaz Marand dispatched the NCAA Singles runner-up and sixth-seeded Laura Vallverdu of Miami in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. The three-time ITA All-American and fellow senior teammate Sophie Grabinski also advanced into the doubles main draw quarterfinals as the tournament's No. 4 seed.
In doubles action, two of the top four seeds were handed early first-round exits. One of the better matchups of the day also produced the biggest upset in the doubles draw. Amanda McDowell, the 2007 ITA National Player of the Year, and Irina Falconi, the reigning Riviera/ITA All-American Championship doubles champions, defeated the 2009 NCAA doubles champions, Mari Andersson and Jana Juricova of Cal, 8-6. This marks the second straight season the Yellow Jacket duo defeated the tournament's No. 1 seed.
"We knew we had a tough first-round match, but it didn't scare us," McDowell said. "We know what we are capable of. I struggled at the beginning, but Irina picked me up, and it helped us turn it around. We really came through in the pressure points of the match."
Play resumes Friday with quarterfinal doubles matches beginning at 9 a.m. PDT, followed by two rounds of singles.
For complete results and event information, visit www.itatennis.com.