Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, September 29
Normal, Ill.
All Day
Eastern Michigan University
at
Redbird Invitational
Tennis Opens Fall Slate with Victories at Redbird Invite
10/2/2023 1:17:00 PM | Tennis
Eagles capture three crowns and place second in three others in three-day event at Illinois State
NORMAL, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University tennis team opened its 2023 fall schedule over the weekend at the Redbird Invitational, hosted by Illinois State University, with three days of action on the Gregory Street Courts in Normal, Ill., Sept. 29-Oct. 1. The Eagles, one of eight teams competing in the event, captured two flight championships in singles play and added on doubles championship as the team competed under Head Coach Ryan Kucera for the first time.
"Overall, it was a very strong first competition weekend at Illinois State," Kucera said. "To have half of our team reach the finals in their respective singles draws is something to celebrate. We showed toughness. Early fall tennis is never as polished as we'd like it to be, but we didn't let that stop us from competing. We grew each day and learned from each match. That's all we can ask right now: that they learn and grow with every opportunity.
"Doubles was up and down, but I still saw the same growth throughout," Kucera continued. "Learning a new system is hard, but we took important steps forward. Linda and Regina were impressive together and they brought Eagles doubles energy and played focused tennis. To have Linda Eloundou and Vidisha Reddy make the finals in draw six was a great moment. I am very proud of both of them. They each had great comebacks to get to the final, really playing brave in their respective deciding tie breaks. It's tough to follow that up and play your teammate in a final, but they both handled it well and made each other better. I am so proud of Ksyusha Saenko also. Her first college tournament, and she was coming back from illness. To win her flight, it was an impressive debut. She definitely got better each day and played her best match in the final. I could mention everyone as each player had positive moments. I can't wait to build on these moments and continue to take steps forward."
Noting The Event
›› The tournament consisted of seven singles and four doubles draws. Eastern reached the finals in six singles draws and one doubles draw on the weekend.
›› Freshman Ksyusha Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) opened her collegiate career posting a 3-0 singles record to capture the title in Flight #3. She dropped one set in the opening round before downing her semifinal and final opponents in straight sets.
›› Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) also captured a singles title as she out-dueled teammate Vidisha Reddy (Hyderabad, India/Villa Marie/Edinboro) for the title in Flight #6. Eloundou and Reddy played a three-set match with Eloundou winning, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8, for the title.
›› Eloundou was a two-time winner on the weekend as she and teammate Regina Mendez (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) combined to win both of their matches to take the doubles crown in Flight #4. The pair bested two duos from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) to win their title.
›› Along with Reddy, two other Eagles fell in the finals of their respective flights to take runner-up honors in the event, including Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) in Flight #5 and Mendez in Flight #7.
›› As a team, the Eagles posted a record of 19-14 on the weekend, including a 15-7 mark in singles play. Overall, Eastern opened with a 10-2 record on the first day of play, including a 7-1 mark in singles action. Eloundou led the way on the weekend as she was a perfect 5-0 in her matches, including 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles.
How It Happened
The Eagles posted a 7-1 record in singles play to open the tournament to advance seven individuals to the semifinals in their respective flights where five advanced to the finals following action the next day. Saenko, playing in her first collegiate event, opened the Flight #3 tournament with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 win over Mia Bertino (Valparaiso University) before coming back the next day to take a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Maria Bezmenova (Bradley University). In the final, it was another straight-set victory for the newcomer as she downed Lana Cacluovic (Illinois State), 6-3, 6-2.
The Flight #6 tournament turned out to be a battle of Eagles as both Eloundou and Reddy advanced to the finals where they faced one another and Eloundou taking a 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8 win. Eloundou opened her tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexandra Hildreth (Bradley) before battling through Helin Alvarez (Chicago State University), 4-6, 6-1, 10-5, to reach the final. On the other half of the bracket, Reddy opened with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ema Pilipovic-Klajic (Eastern Illinois University) before scrapping out a 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 win over Zara Ryan (University of Illinois-Chicago) in the semifinal.
The third and final title won came in doubles where the team of Eloundou and Mendez won both of their matches to secure gold. On the first day, the EMU duo downed the team of Emme Johnson and Naisha Srivastav (St. Thomas), 8-4. They followed that up one day later in the final with an 8-6 victory over the St. Thomas pair of Johnson and Yinong Ma.
Brichackova also reached the final while playing in Flight #5 and fell short of winning the title as she dropped a 6-3, 6-1 decision to Elizabeth Sobieski (Valpo). She opened her tournament with a pair of straight-set victories, including 6-3, 6-1 over Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois) and 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinal over Mash Pukhina (Bradley). Mendez, who played in Flight #7, opened her tournament in the semifinal where she downed Lillian Kelly (Valpo), 6-4, 6-1, before being upended in the final, 6-2, 2-6, 10-7, by Paula Rodriguez (UIC).
Additionally, Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) went 1-1 in Flight #2 as she won her opening round match, 6-3, 6-0, over Charleigh Fay (EIU) before falling in the semifinal to Moira Silva (Valpo), 6-0, 4-6, 10-8.
Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State University) and Danielle Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) also competed in singles tournaments. Quiroz played in Flight #4 where she finished fifth and Shved was fourth in Flight #1. The duo saw their tournaments go very differently as Quiroz dropped her opening match before winning two in a row to place fifth while Shved captured victory in her opening-round match before suffering two defeats.
Up Next
Following the regional event, the Eagles will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to take part in the Cleveland State University Invitational, Oct. 20-22. The last event of the fall comes Nov. 10-12 in Kalamazoo, Mich., at the Western Michigan University Invitational. More information on each event, including participating teams, will be made available closer to each event.
Follow Along
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on Twitter and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
2023 Redbird Invitational
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 • Normal, Ill.
Full Results/Draws (pdf)
SINGLES
Flight #1 • Danielle Shved • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Shved def. Jemme Booth (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-3
Semifinal (9/30) - Agnes Gustafsson (UIC) def. Shved, 4-6, 6-4, 10-3
Third Place (10/1) - Tijana Zlatanovic (Illinois State) def. Shved, 6-3, 6-2
Flight #2 • Prerna Vichare • 1-1 (DNF)
First Round (9/29) - Vichare def. Charleigh Fay (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-0
Semifinal (9/30) - Moira Silva (Valpo) def. Vichare, 6-0, 4-6, 10-8
Flight #3 • Ksyusha Saenko • 3-0 (Flight Winner)
First Round (9/29) - Saenko def. Mia Bertino (Valpo), 6-3, 2-6, 10-8
Semifinal (9/30) - Saenko def. Maria Bezmenova (Bradley), 6-2, 6-3
Final (10/1) - Saenko def. Lana Cacluovic (Illinois State), 6-3, 6-2
Flight #4 • Andrea Quiroz • 2-1 (Fifth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Kirsitn Hailey (Bradley) def. Quiroz, 6-4, 6-3
Conso Semi (9/30) - Quiroz def. Sindney Stone (Valpo), 6-1, 6-4
Fifth Place (10/1) - Quiroz def. Nia Cooper (Chicago State), 6-1, 6-2
Flight #5 • Sabina Brichackova • 2-1 (Second Place)
First Round (9/29) - Brichackova def. Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal (9/30) - Brichackova def. Mash Pukhina (Bradley), 6-4, 6-1
Final (10/1) - Elizabeth Sobieski (Valpo) def. Brichackova, 6-3, 6-1
Flight #6 • Linda Eloundou • 3-0 (Flight Winner)
First Round (9/29) - Eloundou def. Alexandra Hildreth (Bradley), 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal (9/30) - Eloundou def. Helin Alvarez (Chicago State), 4-6, 6-1, 10-5
Final (10/1) - Eloundou def. Vidisha Reddy (EMU), 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8
Flight #6 • Vidisha Reddy • 2-1 (Second Place)
First Round (9/29) - Reddy def. Ema Pilipovic-Klajic (Eastern Illinois), 6-0, 6-2
Semifinal (9/30) - Reddy vs. Zara Ryan (UIC), 5-7, 6-2, 10-7
Final (10/1) - Linda Eloundou (EMU) def. Reddy, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8
Flight #7 • Regina Mendez • 1-1 (Second Place)
Semifinal (9/29) - Mendez def. Lillian Kelly (Valpo), 6-4, 6-1
FINAL (9/30) - Paula Rodriguez (UIC) def. Mendez, 6-2, 2-6, 10-7
DOUBLES
Flight #1 • Brichackova & Vichare • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Jemme Booth/Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois), 8-2
Semifinals (9/30) - Olivia Czerwonka/Moira Silva (Valparaiso) def. EMU, 8-1
Third Place (10/1) - Andra Sirbu/Kirstin Hailey (Bradley) def. EMU, 8-4
Flight #2 • Saenko & Shved • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Elizabeth Sobieski/Sydney Stone (Valparaiso), 8-5
Semifinals (9/30) - Camille Belberka/Tamara Malazonia (UIC) def. EMU, 8-4
Third Place (10/1) - Janna El Nemr/Shrichandrakala Tentu (St. Thomas) def. EMU, 8-1
Flight #3 • Quiroz & Reddy • 0-3 (Eighth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Helin Alvarez/Sofiya Sedovich (Chicago State) def. EMU, 8-2
Conso Semi (9/30) - Mia Bertino/Jolene Fernandez (Valparaiso) def. EMU, 8-6
Seventh Place (10/1) - Aleyla Wooten/Michelle Kostadinova (Eastern Illinois) def. EMU, 8-4
Flight #4 • Eloundou & Mendez • 2-0 (Flight Winners)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Emme Johnson/Naisha Srivastav (St. Thomas), 8-4
Second Round (9/30) - EMU def. Emme Johnson/Yinong Ma (St. Thomas), 8-6
"Overall, it was a very strong first competition weekend at Illinois State," Kucera said. "To have half of our team reach the finals in their respective singles draws is something to celebrate. We showed toughness. Early fall tennis is never as polished as we'd like it to be, but we didn't let that stop us from competing. We grew each day and learned from each match. That's all we can ask right now: that they learn and grow with every opportunity.
"Doubles was up and down, but I still saw the same growth throughout," Kucera continued. "Learning a new system is hard, but we took important steps forward. Linda and Regina were impressive together and they brought Eagles doubles energy and played focused tennis. To have Linda Eloundou and Vidisha Reddy make the finals in draw six was a great moment. I am very proud of both of them. They each had great comebacks to get to the final, really playing brave in their respective deciding tie breaks. It's tough to follow that up and play your teammate in a final, but they both handled it well and made each other better. I am so proud of Ksyusha Saenko also. Her first college tournament, and she was coming back from illness. To win her flight, it was an impressive debut. She definitely got better each day and played her best match in the final. I could mention everyone as each player had positive moments. I can't wait to build on these moments and continue to take steps forward."
Noting The Event
›› The tournament consisted of seven singles and four doubles draws. Eastern reached the finals in six singles draws and one doubles draw on the weekend.
›› Freshman Ksyusha Saenko (Voronezh, Russia/Gymnasium 2) opened her collegiate career posting a 3-0 singles record to capture the title in Flight #3. She dropped one set in the opening round before downing her semifinal and final opponents in straight sets.
›› Linda Eloundou (Yaounde, Cameroon/Augustine Meyou/New Mexico Military Institute) also captured a singles title as she out-dueled teammate Vidisha Reddy (Hyderabad, India/Villa Marie/Edinboro) for the title in Flight #6. Eloundou and Reddy played a three-set match with Eloundou winning, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8, for the title.
›› Eloundou was a two-time winner on the weekend as she and teammate Regina Mendez (Los Cabos, Mexico/Picacho McGregor) combined to win both of their matches to take the doubles crown in Flight #4. The pair bested two duos from the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) to win their title.
›› Along with Reddy, two other Eagles fell in the finals of their respective flights to take runner-up honors in the event, including Sabina Brichackova (Cheb, Czech Republic/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) in Flight #5 and Mendez in Flight #7.
›› As a team, the Eagles posted a record of 19-14 on the weekend, including a 15-7 mark in singles play. Overall, Eastern opened with a 10-2 record on the first day of play, including a 7-1 mark in singles action. Eloundou led the way on the weekend as she was a perfect 5-0 in her matches, including 3-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles.
How It Happened
The Eagles posted a 7-1 record in singles play to open the tournament to advance seven individuals to the semifinals in their respective flights where five advanced to the finals following action the next day. Saenko, playing in her first collegiate event, opened the Flight #3 tournament with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 win over Mia Bertino (Valparaiso University) before coming back the next day to take a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Maria Bezmenova (Bradley University). In the final, it was another straight-set victory for the newcomer as she downed Lana Cacluovic (Illinois State), 6-3, 6-2.
The Flight #6 tournament turned out to be a battle of Eagles as both Eloundou and Reddy advanced to the finals where they faced one another and Eloundou taking a 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8 win. Eloundou opened her tournament with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexandra Hildreth (Bradley) before battling through Helin Alvarez (Chicago State University), 4-6, 6-1, 10-5, to reach the final. On the other half of the bracket, Reddy opened with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ema Pilipovic-Klajic (Eastern Illinois University) before scrapping out a 5-7, 6-2, 10-7 win over Zara Ryan (University of Illinois-Chicago) in the semifinal.
The third and final title won came in doubles where the team of Eloundou and Mendez won both of their matches to secure gold. On the first day, the EMU duo downed the team of Emme Johnson and Naisha Srivastav (St. Thomas), 8-4. They followed that up one day later in the final with an 8-6 victory over the St. Thomas pair of Johnson and Yinong Ma.
Brichackova also reached the final while playing in Flight #5 and fell short of winning the title as she dropped a 6-3, 6-1 decision to Elizabeth Sobieski (Valpo). She opened her tournament with a pair of straight-set victories, including 6-3, 6-1 over Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois) and 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinal over Mash Pukhina (Bradley). Mendez, who played in Flight #7, opened her tournament in the semifinal where she downed Lillian Kelly (Valpo), 6-4, 6-1, before being upended in the final, 6-2, 2-6, 10-7, by Paula Rodriguez (UIC).
Additionally, Prerna Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) went 1-1 in Flight #2 as she won her opening round match, 6-3, 6-0, over Charleigh Fay (EIU) before falling in the semifinal to Moira Silva (Valpo), 6-0, 4-6, 10-8.
Andrea Quiroz (Lima, Peru/La Molina 1278/Alcorn State University) and Danielle Shved (Holon, Israel/Ort Holon) also competed in singles tournaments. Quiroz played in Flight #4 where she finished fifth and Shved was fourth in Flight #1. The duo saw their tournaments go very differently as Quiroz dropped her opening match before winning two in a row to place fifth while Shved captured victory in her opening-round match before suffering two defeats.
Up Next
Following the regional event, the Eagles will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to take part in the Cleveland State University Invitational, Oct. 20-22. The last event of the fall comes Nov. 10-12 in Kalamazoo, Mich., at the Western Michigan University Invitational. More information on each event, including participating teams, will be made available closer to each event.
Follow Along
For all things EMU Tennis, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMUEaglesTennis on Twitter and EMU_Tennis on Instagram.
2023 Redbird Invitational
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 • Normal, Ill.
Full Results/Draws (pdf)
SINGLES
Flight #1 • Danielle Shved • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Shved def. Jemme Booth (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-3
Semifinal (9/30) - Agnes Gustafsson (UIC) def. Shved, 4-6, 6-4, 10-3
Third Place (10/1) - Tijana Zlatanovic (Illinois State) def. Shved, 6-3, 6-2
Flight #2 • Prerna Vichare • 1-1 (DNF)
First Round (9/29) - Vichare def. Charleigh Fay (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-0
Semifinal (9/30) - Moira Silva (Valpo) def. Vichare, 6-0, 4-6, 10-8
Flight #3 • Ksyusha Saenko • 3-0 (Flight Winner)
First Round (9/29) - Saenko def. Mia Bertino (Valpo), 6-3, 2-6, 10-8
Semifinal (9/30) - Saenko def. Maria Bezmenova (Bradley), 6-2, 6-3
Final (10/1) - Saenko def. Lana Cacluovic (Illinois State), 6-3, 6-2
Flight #4 • Andrea Quiroz • 2-1 (Fifth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Kirsitn Hailey (Bradley) def. Quiroz, 6-4, 6-3
Conso Semi (9/30) - Quiroz def. Sindney Stone (Valpo), 6-1, 6-4
Fifth Place (10/1) - Quiroz def. Nia Cooper (Chicago State), 6-1, 6-2
Flight #5 • Sabina Brichackova • 2-1 (Second Place)
First Round (9/29) - Brichackova def. Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois), 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal (9/30) - Brichackova def. Mash Pukhina (Bradley), 6-4, 6-1
Final (10/1) - Elizabeth Sobieski (Valpo) def. Brichackova, 6-3, 6-1
Flight #6 • Linda Eloundou • 3-0 (Flight Winner)
First Round (9/29) - Eloundou def. Alexandra Hildreth (Bradley), 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal (9/30) - Eloundou def. Helin Alvarez (Chicago State), 4-6, 6-1, 10-5
Final (10/1) - Eloundou def. Vidisha Reddy (EMU), 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8
Flight #6 • Vidisha Reddy • 2-1 (Second Place)
First Round (9/29) - Reddy def. Ema Pilipovic-Klajic (Eastern Illinois), 6-0, 6-2
Semifinal (9/30) - Reddy vs. Zara Ryan (UIC), 5-7, 6-2, 10-7
Final (10/1) - Linda Eloundou (EMU) def. Reddy, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 10-8
Flight #7 • Regina Mendez • 1-1 (Second Place)
Semifinal (9/29) - Mendez def. Lillian Kelly (Valpo), 6-4, 6-1
FINAL (9/30) - Paula Rodriguez (UIC) def. Mendez, 6-2, 2-6, 10-7
DOUBLES
Flight #1 • Brichackova & Vichare • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Jemme Booth/Luisa Renovales (Eastern Illinois), 8-2
Semifinals (9/30) - Olivia Czerwonka/Moira Silva (Valparaiso) def. EMU, 8-1
Third Place (10/1) - Andra Sirbu/Kirstin Hailey (Bradley) def. EMU, 8-4
Flight #2 • Saenko & Shved • 1-2 (Fourth Place)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Elizabeth Sobieski/Sydney Stone (Valparaiso), 8-5
Semifinals (9/30) - Camille Belberka/Tamara Malazonia (UIC) def. EMU, 8-4
Third Place (10/1) - Janna El Nemr/Shrichandrakala Tentu (St. Thomas) def. EMU, 8-1
Flight #3 • Quiroz & Reddy • 0-3 (Eighth Place)
First Round (9/29) - Helin Alvarez/Sofiya Sedovich (Chicago State) def. EMU, 8-2
Conso Semi (9/30) - Mia Bertino/Jolene Fernandez (Valparaiso) def. EMU, 8-6
Seventh Place (10/1) - Aleyla Wooten/Michelle Kostadinova (Eastern Illinois) def. EMU, 8-4
Flight #4 • Eloundou & Mendez • 2-0 (Flight Winners)
First Round (9/29) - EMU def. Emme Johnson/Naisha Srivastav (St. Thomas), 8-4
Second Round (9/30) - EMU def. Emme Johnson/Yinong Ma (St. Thomas), 8-6
Team Stats
# Doubles Match
# Singles Match
Players Mentioned
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