Aggies Fall at ITA All-American Championships
"Elbaba played as well as anyone possibly could," A&M head coach Howard Joffe said. "The first set was really close. It was definitely not a case of Cristina not playing well; she just got outplayed. Cris is bitterly disappointed, but she didn't' shortchange us on effort."
Sanchez-Quintanar, an A&M record-high No. 4 in the ITA rankings, was playing her first singles match in the tournament after receiving an automatic berth into the main draw. Elbaba, on the other hand, had fought her way up from the prequalifying round.
"I feel bad for Cristina," Joffe added. "She is in really good shape, but she went up against a girl who has won seven matches in a row to get here and is match tough."
Aggie junior Cristina Stancu also drew a tough first-round opponent as she was pitted against fifth-ranked and No. 2 seed Zsofi Susanyi of California. Susanyi advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
"It's also hard to find fault with Stancu," Joffe said. "She conducted herself well and played hard. The other girl just played better.
"Our girls need more matches. Their level of skill is good, but we also recognize the level of player we are going up against. And at this level it is evident that we need more matches."
Both Sanchez-Quintanar and Stancu will compete in the consolation bracket beginning tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. (PT). Opponents are to be announced,
For more information on the 2012 Riviera/ITA Women's All-American Championships, go to ITATennis.com.
Day 3 Riviera/ITA All-American Main Draw Singles Results:
Thursday, October 4
R32 Julia Elbaba, Virginia def. (#4) Cristina
Sanchez-Quintanar, Texas A&M, 6-4, 6-1
R32 (#5) Zsofi Susanyi, California def. (#17)
Cristina Stancu, Texas A&M, 6-2, 6-1
