Oct. 22, 2010

• ITA Midwest Regional Tournament Central  

• Doubles Main Draw   |  Singles Qualifying Results   |  Singles Main Draw

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Junior Aleksandra Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and freshman Nicky Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) advanced to the singles main draw to lead the University of Wisconsin women’s tennis team in the singles qualifying draw of the USTA/ITA Midwest Championships at Michigan’s Varsity Tennis Center Friday morning.

Juniors Lauren Gruber (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Angela Chupa (Bradenton, Fla.) joined Markovic and Stracar in the singles qualifying draw to open the tournament. Markovic and Stracar will join junior Alaina Trgovich (Munster, Ind.) in representing the Badgers in the singles main draw.

“I am extremely proud of how Stracar and Markovic played in qualifying,” head coach Brian Fleishman said. “Both competed great and represented the University of Wisconsin in a very positive way. Now we go into main draw singles with three players representing UW.”

Markovic received a 5-8 seed and a bye in the first round of qualifying play. The junior then knocked off Illinois’ Annie McCarthy, 6-3, 6-1, before taking down Western Michigan’s Maria Nivia, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to advance to the main draw.

Stracar posted three-straight victories to advance beyond the qualifying round. She opened tournament play against Eastern Illinois’ Merritt Whitley, earning a quick 6-1, 6-0 win. The freshman then took down Ohio State’s Fidan Manashirova, 6-3, 6-4. Stracar’s third match saw her battle Eastern Michigan’s Xu Chang to a 6-3, 6-4 win to earn a place in the singles main draw.

Chupa defeated Eastern Michigan’s Celine Donnet, 6-0, 6-4, in the first round before falling to Illinois’ Amy Allin, 6-3, 6-1, to end her tournament run in singles play.

Gruber dropped her first match, battling Akron’s Natalia Kuvakina in three sets, but eventually fell 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. The junior then took down Notre Dame’s JoHanna Manningham, 6-1, 6-3 in singles qualifying consolation play.

The singles main draw begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m., but the Badgers first start play in the doubles main draw Friday afternoon.

Doubles play will consist of a 48-team main draw, slated to begin with two rounds of play on Friday, with a champion being crowned on Monday. Chupa and Stracar open doubles play for the Badgers when they face Janelle Prisner and Merritt Whitley of Eastern Illinois at 2 p.m. Friday.

Markovic and Gruber received a first-round bye and face second-seeded Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno of Michigan at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The ITA Midwest Regional continues through Tuesday. Participating schools include Michigan, Akron, Cleveland State, DePaul, Detroit-Mercy, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, IPFW, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Toledo, Western Michigan, Wisconsin and Youngstown State. Check back to UWBadgers.com for additional coverage of the tournament throughout the weekend.