MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Wisconsin freshmen
Lexi Keberle and
Maryann Rompf had a successful collegiate debut this weekend at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. For Keberle, that meant advancing to the quarterfinals of the main draw and for Rompf it meant bouncing back from an opening loss to advance to the consolation championship match.
Keberle, a native a nearby West Bend, Wis., posted a pair of wins Friday, including a thrilling straight-set win over the tournament's 3rd-ranked player. However, Saturday's round three opponent proved even tougher, in Arkansas Léolia Jeanjean. The Razorback senior is No. 62 in the ITA preseason rankings and led her team with an 18-2 (7-1 SEC) dual-match singles record last season. Keberle battled, but came up short, falling 6-2, 7-5.
For Rompf, the MTC was an opportunity to show her resiliency. After an extremely tight three-set loss in the main draw opening round, Rompf went on to post three straight victories in the consolation bracket. The Bradenton, Florida, native blanked Milwaukee's Nicole Clark, 6-0, 6-0, then dispatched Iowa's Danielle Burich, 6-2, 6-4, before out-lasting Marquette's Natalija Popovic, 7-6(4), 0-6, 1-0(4) to advance to the consolation championship. The tournament did not hold a consolation finals match.
Milwaukee Tennis Classic
Saturday Results
Singles
#62 Leolia Jeanjean (ARK) def.
Lexi Keberle (UW), 6-2, 7-5
Maryann Rompf (UW) def. Natalija Popovic (MARQ), 7-6 (4), 0-6, 1-0 (4) (backdraw)
Amanda Keller (USNA) def.
Michelle Linden (UW), 7-6 (2), 6-4 (backdraw)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – As Friday play wraps up at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, the Wisconsin women's tennis team is sending one player into Saturday's quarterfinals, freshman
Lexi Keberle.
In her first collegiate matches, Keberle put together a 2-0 record, advancing into the second day of singles matches. Keberle defeated Lucy Octave of Utah State in her first match, advancing with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. In her second match the West Bend, Wis. native pulled off the upset of the day, knocking off No. 3 seed and 41st-ranked Maria Kononova of North Texas, 6-4, 6-4.
Keberle will take the court Saturday at 9 a.m. (CT) against No. 6 seed Leolia Jeanjean of Arkansas.
Senior
Sara Castellano also made her Badger debut on Friday. The Kansas State transfer sat out last season, but had a successful start to 2017-18, picking up a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Drake's Summer Brills. Castellano moved onto the round of 16, but couldn't hold onto a first set win against Mia Jurasic of Arkansas, falling 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles play started Thursday evening for the Badgers when the duo of Keberle and Linden were defeated by a score of 8-3 in its first match by a pair of Drake women.
Castellano and Rompf won their first match 8-4 over a duo from fellow Big Ten opponent Iowa. The two then went on to lose to an Arkansas duo, 8-4.
Milwaukee Tennis Classic
Thursday and Friday Results
Doubles
Castellano/Rompf (UW) def. Crawford/Burich (IOWA), 8-4
Jurasic/Oparenovic (ARK) def. Castellano/Rumpf (UW), 8-4
Herder/Brills (DRAKE) def. Keberle/Linden (UW), 8-3
Singles
Lexi Keberle (UW) def. Lucy Octave (USU), 6-3, 6-1
Lexi Keberle (UW) def. #41 Maria Kononova (UNT) 6-4, 6-4
Fleur Eggink (MARQ) def.
Maryann Rompf (UW), 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Tamuna Kutubidze (UNT) def.
Michelle Linden (UW), 6-1, 6-3
Sara Castellano (UW) def. Summer Brills (DRAKE), 6-4, 6-4
Mia Jurasic (ARK) def.
Sara Castellano (UW) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Maryann Rompf (UW) def. Nicole Clark (UWM), 6-0, 6-0 (backdraw)
Maryann Rompf (UW) def. Danielle Burich (IOWA), 6-2, 6-4 (backdraw)
Michelle Linden (UW) def. Labina Petrivska (UWM), 6-7 (8), 6-2, 1-0 (2) (backdraw)
Michelle Linden (UW) def. Rachel Sutton (BUT), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7) (backdraw)
