The women’s tennis team cruised to titles in both singles and doubles play in the Bedford Cup at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers over the weekend. Sophomore Yolimar Ogando beat fellow Cane freshman Ana Madcur in the finals of the Singles A Draw on Sunday, a day after winning the Doubles A Draw with sophomore teammate Wendy Zhang.
The Canes expected a strong showing in the tournament as they held the top three seeds in their singles division and the top seed in their doubles division.
The Canes got off to a strong start in the singles division as they had four players advance past the round of 16 and into the quarterfinals. Miami ended the first day of play with an 11-3 record overall. The hot streak continued into day two as Zhang, Ogando, Madcur and sophomore Silvia Fuentes won their quarterfinals matches, claiming all four spots in the semifinals.
In the first semifinal, Ogando rallied back after a difficult start to defeat Fuentes in three grueling sets. The second semifinal between Madcur and Zhang was also hotly contested. Much like Ogando, Madcur fell in the first set but reeled off the last two to advance to the final.
Madcur hit a milestone in the semifinal as it was her first ever victory over a ranked opponent. Ultimately, Ogando defeated Madcur in straight sets for her second singles title of the fall.
“We are so happy for Ana Madcur,” said Miami Associate Head Coach Laura Vallverdu to HurricaneSports.com. “She is the tangible definition of hard work paying off. I can’t wait to keep seeing her development.”
Miami proved to be equally as dominant on the doubles side of the tournament. The dynamic duo of Zhang and Ogando, who were seeded one and two in the singles division, dominated the doubles bracket on their way to a title. They came out on top in a tough match against teammates Fuentes and senior Clementina Riobueno to advance to the final. They then cruised to a championship in the final with a win over a duo from Florida International University.
“The team represented Miami in a professional manner this weekend and that is what we always ask for,” Vallverdu said to HurricaneSports.com. “[We are] looking for more of this [type of play] next weekend though.”
The Hurricanes next play in the ITA Southeast Regionals on Oct. 22-26 in Athens, Georgia.