Oct. 13, 2009

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin women’s tennis team went 2-1 in its first matches of doubles play at the Wildcat Invitational on Friday.

Jessica Seyferth and Kathleen Saltarelli beat Akron’s Carolina Castro Cota and Jeremie Benjamin 8-4 to advance to the second round of the tournament. Seyferth and Saltarelli dropped their second match to Northwestern’s Kate Turvy and Stacey Lee, who beat the Badgers 8-3.

Katya Mirnova and Aleksandra Markovic also won their first match, beating Notre Dame’s Christine McGaffigan and Kristen Rafael 8-6 in the second round. The duo then lost to South Carolina’s Ana Zubori and Dijana Stojic in an 8-6 battle. Mirnova and Markovic regrouped in their 8-6 victory over Oklahoma's Marie-Piere Huet and Katelyn Connolly.

Hannah Berner and Angela Chupa were defeated in their opening match by Oklahoma’s Teona Tsertvadze and Kristina Radan, 8-4. Chupa was then replaced by Lauren Gruber in the consolation match against Michigan State’s Nicole Herzog and Whitney Wilson, which Gruber and Berner won 8-4. Berner and Gruber dominated their next match against Western Michigan's Maria Nivia and Rachel Denny, winning 8-2.

The tournament continues tomorrow when singles play begins at 10 a.m.