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PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - Texas
A&M senior Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar (pronounced KEEN-tah-nar) suffered a
disappointing loss in the first round of the main draw at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships,
as the No. 1 seed was upset by Julia Elbaba of Virginia, 6-4, 6-1, today at the
Riviera Tennis Club.
"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
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