Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, October 24
Oxford, Ohio
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Fall Individual Championships
Brichackova & Vichare Claim Silver at MAC Individuals
10/27/2024 2:42:00 PM | Tennis
Doubles team fell in the final of the inaugural event
MAC Tournament Page
HAMILTON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The inaugural Mid-American Conference Fall Individual Championships ended Sunday, Oct. 27, in Hamilton, Ohio, with the Eastern Michigan University duo of Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare falling in the finals of the double tournament played inside the Riverside Athletic Club. The EMU tandem battled all week but came up short in the final as they dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision to the team of Emilia Valentinsson and Sara Zalukar, who represented the host school Miami University.
While the two seniors, Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) reached the finals, freshman Iva Daneva (Kavadarci, North Macadonia/DSU Sportska Akademija) gained valuable experience in her debut as she pulled off a massive come-from-behind victory in the opening round before falling in the quarterfinals.
"I'm really proud of our girls this week," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said following the tournament. "It was an honor to compete in the first MAC Fall Individual Championships and the girls made the most of the opportunity and represented us so well. Iva started off the tournament with one of the best comebacks I've seen in my time coaching. Her opponent was playing incredible tennis and Iva really had to dig deep. She just kept plugging away and making little adjustments and, once she got the tie break, it really allowed her to take off. It was such a great experience for her to play in this as one of only two freshmen and two get a win like that.
"I can't say enough about our seniors," Kucera continued. "They had a tough draw, but they just focused on playing their tennis and they did just that. They were so composed in the pressure moments, locked in, and do what they do best. I am so proud of those two and so happy to see all their hard work paying off."
Doubles Tournament
Entering the tournament, Brichackova and Vichare played 50 times together and sported a 31-19 career record together. Those matches paid off as the duo tallied a 7-5, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals over Ball State's Sara Shahbaz and Isabelle Tanjuatco to reach the semifinals. With a spot in the final on the line, the EMU duo dug deep and found a way to win, taking the match, 6-7(6), 6-2, 1-0(5), over Maria Glowacka and Jagmeet Kaur of the University at Buffalo. In the finals, the homestanding RedHawk duo of Valentinsson and Zalukar took the match with the Eagles finishing as the runners-up.
Despite falling in the final, both Eagles moved up in the program's all-time win standings. Brichackova now has 100 career combined wins that include 49 in doubles play and 51 in singles. Her 49 doubles wins have her seven shy of cracking the program's all-time top 20 while Vichare now has 48 career doubles wins to leave her eight away from the same ledger.
Singles Tournament
The singles tournament featured two players each from the eight MAC schools sponsoring women's tennis with Daneva and Brichackova representing the Eagles. Daneva, a freshman, drew Zalukar of Miami in the opening round and looked like she was making an early exit as she trailed, 6-0, 5-2, in her match before making an incredible comeback. Daneva played her way into a second-set tiebreaker at 6-6 before winning the tie break in a marathon, 16-14, to even the score at one set each. In the third, Daneva continued to improve and won, 6-1, to capture the victory. She would fall in the quarterfinals in a 6-0, 6-4 decision to Northern Illinois University's Nataly Ninova. Brichackova also competed in the singles tournament, but fell in her opening match, 6-2, 6-3, to Elena Malykh of Ball State University
Up Next
The final event of the fall schedule awaits the Eagles, Nov. 1-3, when they travel north to East Lansing, Mich., to compete in Michigan State University's Spartan Classic.
Follow Us
Stay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).
2024 MAC Fall Individual Championships
SINGLES RESULTS
Iva Daneva • 1-1
Round of 16: Davena def. Sara Zalukar (MIA), 0-6, 7-6(14), 6-1
Quarterfinals: Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Daneva, 6-0, 6-4
Sabina Brichackova • 0-1
Round of 16: Elena Malykh (BSU) def. Brichackova, 6-2, 6-3
DOUBLES RESULTS
Sabina Brichackova/Prerna Vichare • 2-1 (Runners-Up)
Quarters: Brichackova/Vichare def. Sarah Shahbaz/Isabelle Tanjuatco (BSU), 7-5, 6-4
Semifinals: Brichackova/Vichare def. Maria Glowacka/Jagmeet Kaur (UB), 6-7(6), 6-2, 1-0(5)
Final: Emilia Valentinsson/Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Brichackova/Vichare, 6-1, 6-3
HAMILTON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The inaugural Mid-American Conference Fall Individual Championships ended Sunday, Oct. 27, in Hamilton, Ohio, with the Eastern Michigan University duo of Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare falling in the finals of the double tournament played inside the Riverside Athletic Club. The EMU tandem battled all week but came up short in the final as they dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision to the team of Emilia Valentinsson and Sara Zalukar, who represented the host school Miami University.
While the two seniors, Brichackova (Cheb, Czechia/Gymnázium Jana Blahoslava) and Vichare (Mumbai, India/Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics) reached the finals, freshman Iva Daneva (Kavadarci, North Macadonia/DSU Sportska Akademija) gained valuable experience in her debut as she pulled off a massive come-from-behind victory in the opening round before falling in the quarterfinals.
"I'm really proud of our girls this week," Head Coach Ryan Kucera said following the tournament. "It was an honor to compete in the first MAC Fall Individual Championships and the girls made the most of the opportunity and represented us so well. Iva started off the tournament with one of the best comebacks I've seen in my time coaching. Her opponent was playing incredible tennis and Iva really had to dig deep. She just kept plugging away and making little adjustments and, once she got the tie break, it really allowed her to take off. It was such a great experience for her to play in this as one of only two freshmen and two get a win like that.
"I can't say enough about our seniors," Kucera continued. "They had a tough draw, but they just focused on playing their tennis and they did just that. They were so composed in the pressure moments, locked in, and do what they do best. I am so proud of those two and so happy to see all their hard work paying off."
Doubles Tournament
Entering the tournament, Brichackova and Vichare played 50 times together and sported a 31-19 career record together. Those matches paid off as the duo tallied a 7-5, 6-4 win in the quarterfinals over Ball State's Sara Shahbaz and Isabelle Tanjuatco to reach the semifinals. With a spot in the final on the line, the EMU duo dug deep and found a way to win, taking the match, 6-7(6), 6-2, 1-0(5), over Maria Glowacka and Jagmeet Kaur of the University at Buffalo. In the finals, the homestanding RedHawk duo of Valentinsson and Zalukar took the match with the Eagles finishing as the runners-up.
Despite falling in the final, both Eagles moved up in the program's all-time win standings. Brichackova now has 100 career combined wins that include 49 in doubles play and 51 in singles. Her 49 doubles wins have her seven shy of cracking the program's all-time top 20 while Vichare now has 48 career doubles wins to leave her eight away from the same ledger.
Singles Tournament
The singles tournament featured two players each from the eight MAC schools sponsoring women's tennis with Daneva and Brichackova representing the Eagles. Daneva, a freshman, drew Zalukar of Miami in the opening round and looked like she was making an early exit as she trailed, 6-0, 5-2, in her match before making an incredible comeback. Daneva played her way into a second-set tiebreaker at 6-6 before winning the tie break in a marathon, 16-14, to even the score at one set each. In the third, Daneva continued to improve and won, 6-1, to capture the victory. She would fall in the quarterfinals in a 6-0, 6-4 decision to Northern Illinois University's Nataly Ninova. Brichackova also competed in the singles tournament, but fell in her opening match, 6-2, 6-3, to Elena Malykh of Ball State University
Up Next
The final event of the fall schedule awaits the Eagles, Nov. 1-3, when they travel north to East Lansing, Mich., to compete in Michigan State University's Spartan Classic.
Follow Us
Stay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).
2024 MAC Fall Individual Championships
SINGLES RESULTS
Iva Daneva • 1-1
Round of 16: Davena def. Sara Zalukar (MIA), 0-6, 7-6(14), 6-1
Quarterfinals: Nataly Ninova (NIU) def. Daneva, 6-0, 6-4
Sabina Brichackova • 0-1
Round of 16: Elena Malykh (BSU) def. Brichackova, 6-2, 6-3
DOUBLES RESULTS
Sabina Brichackova/Prerna Vichare • 2-1 (Runners-Up)
Quarters: Brichackova/Vichare def. Sarah Shahbaz/Isabelle Tanjuatco (BSU), 7-5, 6-4
Semifinals: Brichackova/Vichare def. Maria Glowacka/Jagmeet Kaur (UB), 6-7(6), 6-2, 1-0(5)
Final: Emilia Valentinsson/Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Brichackova/Vichare, 6-1, 6-3
Team Stats
# Doubles Match
# Singles Match
Players Mentioned
Tennis Senior Day Highlights 2025 vs. BGSU
Sunday, April 13
Tennis Recap vs. NIU
Saturday, April 12
Highlights: EMU Falls to Miami in Close 4-3 Match
Monday, March 31
Tennis Claws Back to Defeat Ball State, 4-3
Monday, March 24