Smekodub Falls In Finals At ITA Southwest Regional
Oct 20, 2003 | Women's Tennis
Oct. 20, 2003
FORT WORTH, Texas - - Sophomore Julie Smekodub fell one match short in her bid to repeat as champion at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Regional, retiring from the final with a shoulder injury on Monday.
Smekodub's injury gave the title to Texas freshman Petra Dizdar, who had won the first set 6-2 before the Tulane sophomore was forced to the sideline. Smekodub had reached the finals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over teammate Maria Ivanov in the semifinals. Ivanov was the only unseeded player to advance as far as the Round of 16.
"This was an excellent tournament for the team," Tulane head coach David Schumacher said. "Everyone on the team had good wins and we had some great team results. Maria reached the semifinals, which is a great result for her, and her sister Darya beat the No. 2 seeded player in the singles draw. We also had some solid performances in doubles."
The doubles contingent was led by Smekodub and Darya Ivanov, who reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champions Roland and Viera from Texas A&M.
Last season, Smekodub, then a freshman won the singles title before teaming with fellow newcomer Jenny Kuhn to win the doubles championship.
