Tar Heels Start Strong At Duke Fab Four

Friday, September 14

Cary, N.C.

All Day

North Carolina

Duke Plus One Invitational

September 15, 2012 | Women's Tennis

By: UNC Athletic Communications

CARY, N.C. --- Three Carolina doubles pairs advanced to flight finals and five Tar Heels won opening round singles matches in the first day of the Duke Fab Four Invitational Friday at the Cary Tennis Park. Caroline Price and Lauren McHale will face teammates Laura Slater and Gina Suarez-Malaguti in Saturday's double Blue draw final Saturday, while the freshman tandem of Ashley Dai and Whitney Kay plays in the Black draw final.

Tessa Lyons scored a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 121 Lynda Xepoleas of Purdue in the Black draw round of 16, while Zoe De Bruycker, Kay, Suarez-Malaguti and Price also advanced to main draw quarterfinals.

The highlight of the day may have come in doubles, however, as both Tar Heel pairs in the Blue draw defeated top-40 opponents to make the final. Price and McHale knocked off Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Cristina Stancu of Texas A&M, the No. 22 doubles team in the country, 8-3, while Slater and Suarez-Malaguti took out No. 38 Melissa Bolivar and Lina Lileikite of Miami, 8-1.

Play continues Saturday with doubles finals and singles quarterfinal and semifinal action.

SINGLES

Blue Draw

Zoe De Bruycker (UNC) def. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue), 6-1, 6-2

#4 Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar (TAMU) def. Laura Slater (UNC), 6-1, 6-1

Black Draw

Tessa Lyons (UNC) def. #121 Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue), 6-4, 6-2

Whitney Kay (UNC) def. Hope Johnson (W&M), 6-3, 6-2

Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) def. Amber Li (Yale), 6-4, 6-1

White Draw

Caroline Price (UNC) def. Julia Jones (MISS), 6-1, 6-2

#64 Lina Lileikite (UM) def. Ashley Dai (UNC), 6-2, 6-4