The UConn women’s tennis team is coming off of their toughest tournament of the season, the ITA Regionals. The Huskies put up an overall solid performance in both singles and doubles, wrapping up play on Sunday Oct. 8th. They’ve had five days to prepare for the upcoming Brown Invite and can build off their last tournament to really put on a show this weekend.
Matchups
After two straight tournaments of huge pools of players competing individually in massive brackets, the format in the Brown Invite provides a fresher style. Historically, this tournament has been played with something called a “compass draw” or “compass bracket.” What this means is the draw is divided into brackets, each of which represents a point on a compass (north, northeast, etc.). If and when a player, or doubles pair, loses a match they move into a new point on the compass, or a new bracket. Winners are determined based on final record, but the bracket is designed to pair players with others who are similarly skilled. The past two tournaments, the Huskies haven’t played the same team twice, so it will be interesting to see who they get in the draw this time around. Last year, UConn faced off against the University of Rhode Island, Dartmouth and Boston University. Juniors Maria Constantinou and Olivia Wright put on a show, with Constantinou going undefeated in singles play and the two pairing up to get the Huskies’ only doubles win.
UConn Players to Watch
Constantinou and Wright will always be players to watch at any tournament. Although they underperformed in singles play at last weekend’s ITA Regionals, that was the toughest competition they’ve faced to date. The regionals, and the Army Invite before that, have been some serious competition for the whole squad which should have prepared them nicely for this upcoming Invite.
Senior Aleksandra Karamyshev was the best singles performer on the squad last weekend, winning her first two matches before eventually falling to junior Shiori Ito of Syracuse. As a player who has stayed a Husky since her first year, Karamyshev can continue her solid senior season in this one and go out with a bang.
First year Victoria Matos has continued her stellar play throughout the weeks, partnering with Wright at the ITA Regionals to be the farthest advancing pair of Huskies in doubles play. Playing in, and winning, as many matches as she has as a first year is an achievement in itself but there’s always room for improvement. The Brown Invite can be the perfect setting to show that growth with another great performance.
What to Expect
Historically at this tournament, the Huskies have won more than they’ve lost in both singles and doubles play. There are some new faces we’ve seen throughout the year, like Matos, who have shown themselves to be very impactful players. Additionally, with players like Constantinou and Wright blowing their previous year’s performances out of the water, it’s reasonable to expect another positive tournament from the Huskies in this one.
Matches start on Friday, Oct. 13 and conclude on Sunday, Oct. 15 at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.