LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 21, 2019) – Oleksandra Balaba and the doubles teams of Ida Krause and Clara Mansart and Ana Fernandez and Ana Royo all advanced to the championship matches in their respective brackets on day two of the Wyoming Invite.
Balaba, who advances in the "B" draw, picked up a pair of victories Saturday as she defeated Air Force's Mebeli Becerra 6-1 and 6-2 in match one and closed her day with a thrilling three-set victory over Colorado State's Anastasiia Kotsyuba, 6-2, 2-6 and 6-3.
Krause and Mansart picked up their second win as a duo at the invite as they defeated CSU's Stella Cliffe and Emily Luetschwager, 6-4 and advance to the finals in the "A" draw. Meanwhile, in the "B" bracket, Fernandez and Royo didn't drop a game as they swept by Emma Corwin and Kotsyuba of CSU, 6-0 and 6-0.
"I think we took more steps forward today," said head coach Dean Clower.
"I think the freshmen played a little bit more of our style today. It wasn't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction."
On the singles' side for Fernandez, Krause and Mansart, it was an up-and-down day. Krause opened her day with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Cliffe before losing a slugfest with Central Oklahoma's Isabella Dunlap, 6-0, 3-6 and 3-6. Fernandez also won her first match, defeating Alex Kuo of Air Force, 7-5 and 6-3 and then lost to Montana State's Linnea Fristam. Mansart meanwhile responded from her tough three-setter against Nanette Nylund of South Dakota, a match Mansart lost 3-6, 6-4 and 0-6, with an impressive 6-1 and 6-2 victory in the nightcap over UCO's Patricia Gribi.
The other two doubles teams for the Cowgirls lost their matches Saturday as the team of Mughal and Oreshkina dropped a heartbreaker, 7-6 (5) to the team compiled of CSU's Riley Reeves and MSU's Enni Zander. The Balaba and Kaftanova duo lost to Grijalva and Palmero of Colorado State, 6-3.
Zarah Mughal and Mihaela Kaftanova also picked up wins in the consolation side of the bracket Saturday.
"I think the structure was improved upon the most from yesterday," continued Clower.
"We talked all week long about our style and structure of play and we're not perfect, like I said, but we're definitely getting there."
The Pokes close their home weekend Sunday in day three of the invite.
-WYO-
