Northwestern University Athletics
Audra Cohen Wins First Round of NCAA Singles Championships
5/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 23, 2005
ATHENS, Ga. - In first-round action at the 2005 NCAA Singles Championships, third-seeded Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) escaped unscathed, winning handily in straight sets against Dea Sumantri of Washington. But junior Cristelle Grier was eliminated from the tournament after dropping a heartbreaking third set, 7-5, to Virginia Commonwealth's Marianna Yuferova.
Cohen's second round match is set for 10:30 a.m. CT Tuesday, May 24 against Carolin Walter of Baylor, who is unseeded.
Her win Monday improves Cohen's record to 47-6 overall this year, while Grier closes her singles season with a 38-7 mark.
Playing side by side on center court of Georgia's majestic Dan Magill Tennis Complex, the Wildcats mirrored each other perfectly in their opening sets. Both cruised and finished simultaneously, 6-1.
They continued to mirror one other in the second set, as both stumbled and dropped the opening game. But that's where the similarities ended.
Cohen went on to win six of her next seven games, wrapping up her nation-leading 47th win of the season in one hour and 20 minutes.
"It was 83 degrees by 10 a.m., so I felt nice and loose and just played my game," Cohen said. "The first match is always the most nerve-wracking. It was good to start off with a win and get comfortable. I got into a good rhythm today, and that was the key to the match."
On court three, Yuferova and Grier began to hint to the crowd that they were in it for the long haul. Grier dropped the second game of set two, falling into a quick 2-0 hole. The junior got back on track in the third game though, winning a marathon deuce point that lasted 25 minutes. In the time it took Grier to win the deuce point, Cohen won three-straight games on court two.
Nevertheless, Yuferova slipped into a groove and claimed the second set 6-2.
Grier started the third set by holding serve, but dropped the next two games and fell behind 2-1. She then broke Yuferova to tie the match at 2-2, 3-3, and again at 4-4. Then in the ninth game, she held serve to push ahead 5-4 in what seemed to be the turning point of the match. In the tenth game, Grier had the chance to put Yuferova away on two match points. But Yuferova fended her off each time and eventually tied it at 5-5.
With the momentum, Yuferova won the next two games to advance to the second round.
Although done in singles for the year, Grier will begin doubles competition at 2 p.m. CT Tuesday, May 24 with Cohen. The duo -- seeded second in the tournament -- face Gabriela Duch and Neyssa Etienne of South Florida in the first round.
• Live scoring and daily results are available at UGA's tournament website and the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship page .
2005 NCAA Singles Championships First Round Results
#3 Audra Cohen (NU) def. Dea Sumantri (WASH), 6-1, 6-2
Marianna Yuferova (VCU) def. Cristelle Grier (NU), 6-1, 2-6, 5-7
Cohen's Second Round Match
#3 Audra Cohen (NU) vs. Carolin Walter (BAYLOR) @ 10:30 a.m. CT Tuesday, May 24
2005 NCAA Doubles Championships First Round Match
#2 Audra Cohen/Cristelle Grier (NU) vs. Gabriela Duch/Neyssa Etienne (SOUTH FLORIDA) @ 2 p.m. CT Tuesday, May 24
