Carnicella Finishes Singles Runner-Up in ITF W50 Pro Tournament – University of South Carolina Athletics

LEXINGTON, S.C.  – South Carolina women’s tennis had a strong week at the ITF W50 professional tournament, with four Gamecocks competing in singles qualifying and main-draw action. Helena Buchwald and Bella Bergqvist Larsson each earned two qualifying wins to advance, while Jane Dunyon also fought through qualifying with a pair of three-set victories. Pietra Rivoli fell in her opening qualifying match.

In the main draw, Bergqvist Larsson opened with a three-set win over Victoria Hu before defeating Dunyon in the Round of 16. Her run came to an end in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Astra Sharma. Kaitlyn Carnicella also put together an impressive run, defeating Buchwald in the opening round and Kajsa Rinaldo Persson in the Round of 16.

Carnicella continued her momentum in the quarterfinals, defeating Lucciana Perez Alarcon, the No. 1 college player in the country, after Perez Alarcon retired in the second set. She then earned a hard-fought three-set semifinal victory over Arantxa Rus to advance to the championship match, where she finished as the tournament runner-up after falling to Sharma.

In doubles action, all three Gamecock pairs fell in the opening round. Buchwald and Carnicella dropped a tight match to Hewitt and Strakhova, while Bergqvist Larsson and Jana Stojanova and the duo of Dunyon and Francie Pate also fell in their respective matches.

DAY 1 SINGLES RESULTS (QUALIFYING):

R1: Helena Buchwald (GER) def. Tatum Evans (USA) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

R1: Jane Dunyon (USA) def. Pietra Rivoli (BRAZ) 6-2, 6-2

R1: Bella Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) def. Anna Frey (USA) 7-5, 7-6(5)

DAY 2 SINGLES RESULTS (QUALIFYING):

R2: Helena Buchwald (GER) def. Megan Heuser (USA) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

R2: Jane Dunyon (USA) def. Françoise Abanda (CAN) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2

R2: Bella Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) def. Briley Rhoden (USA) 6-1, 6-3

DAY 3 SINGLES RESULTS (MAIN DRAW):

R1: Bella Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) def. Victoria Hu (USA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

R1: Jane Dunyon (USA) def. Martina Capurro Taborda (ARG) 0-6, 6-3, 6-4

R1: Kaitlyn Carnicella (USA) def. Helena Buchwald (GER) 6-4, 6-1

DAY 4 SINGLES RESULTS (MAIN DRAW):

R2: Bella Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) def. Jane Dunyon (USA) 6-2, 5-2 (retired)

R2: Kaitlyn Carnicella (USA) def. Kajsa Rinaldo Persson (SWE) 6-1, 6-3

DAY 5 SINGLES RESULTS (MAIN DRAW):

QF: Astra Sharma (AUS) def. Bella Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) 7-6(5), 6-4

QF: Kaitlyn Carnicella (USA) def. Lucciana Perez Alarcon (PER) 6-3, 3-0 (retired)

DAY 6 SINGLES RESULTS (MAIN DRAW):

SF: Kaitlyn Carnicella (USA) def. Arantxa Rus (NED) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5

DAY 7 SINGLES RESULTS (MAIN DRAW):

FINAL: Astra Sharma (AUS) def. Kaitlyn Carnicella (USA) 6-2, 6-1

DAY 1 DOUBLES RESULTS:

R1: Hewitt (USA) / Strakhova (UKR) def. Buchwald (GER) / Carnicella (USA) 6-3, 5-7, 8-4 (retired)

R1: Rapolu (USA) / Sieg (USA) def. Bergqvist Larsson (SWE) / Stojanova (BUL) 6-4, 6-0

R1: Bajraliu (SWE) / Rus (NED) def. Dunyon (USA) / Pate (USA) 6-3, 6-2