ITA Regionals Tournament Central

PHILADELPHIA - Beautiful weather was bestowed upon the City of Brotherly Love this weekend, making Hamlin Tennis Center the perfect place to be for the 2017 Northeast ITA Regionals. The University of Pennsylvania women's tennis served as hosts for the yearly fall tournament, with play for the Quakers concluding Sunday after a quarterfinals run from senior Lina Qostal to highlight the action. 

Qostal began her journey in the Round of 128 Thursday, taking down Quinnipiac's Payton Bradley with ease 6-3, 6-3. Thursday also featured a win from Penn freshman Marija Curnic, who took advantage of a 6-1, (ret.) from Columbia's Adi Milstein to advance. Friday was a busy day for the Red and Blue, with five players competing.

Sophomore Ashley Zhu notched the first win of the day for Penn with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Dartmouth's Allison McCann in the Round of 64. Qostal followed that up with a win of her own against Cornell's Mariko Iinuma, storming back after dropping the first set 6-1 to take the second and third sets 6-2, 6-4 respectively. Freshman Jimena Rodriguez-Benito faced Jenna Friedel of Harvard, taking down the Crimson in a three-set affair 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Marta Kowalska boasted Penn's fourth win of the second round with a 6-1, 6-2 performance against Julia Gabay of Marist. Curnic was the lone Quaker to fall in the Round of 64 at the hands of Brown's Devon Jack.

The third round would feature some heartbreaking losses for Penn, including two come-from-behind victories for Quaker opponents. Zhu was cruising against Ruth Crawford of UMass, at one point up 6-1, 4-1 before the junior from Georgia stormed back to take the second set 6-4, rattling off five straight games. Crawford used that momentum to steal the third frame 6-4, as Zhu exited the tournament.

Similar emotions would be felt by Kowalska, who seized the first set against Olaya Inclan Solis of St. John's 6-3 before the Red Storm rebounded to win 6-3, 6-4 in the final two frames. Rodriguez-Benito would retire due to injury against Princeton's Stephanie Schrage before the conclusion of the first set, but Qostal was the shining light for the Quakers near the end of Friday's competition as the Moroccan won with easy over Buffalo 6-3, 6-1. 

Qostal wasn't done yet, however. Facing her toughest competition yet on Saturday afternoon, the senior rose to the occasion, defeating Princeton's No. 1 seed from last season Katrine Steffensen 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4, sending Qostal into the quarterfinals.

On Sunday, Qostal's run ended to a startup freshman from Yale Samantha Martinelli, losing 6-3, 6-3. 

In doubles, OJ Singh and Kowalska teamed up as Penn's most successful duo, advancing to the Round of 16. The pair first defeated Sacred Heart in first round 8-3 before cruising to an 8-1 victory in the second round over LIU Brooklyn. On Saturday, Kowalska and Singh faced Ivy foe Brown, falling 8-5. Both Vaidya/Zhu and Rodriguez-Benito/Curnic fell in the opening round of play in doubles.

Penn will now await the start of its spring season at the conclusion of January 2018. The spring schedule will be released in the coming weeks on PennAthletics.com and Twitter.

Penn Results
Singles
Qualifying
OJ Singh (Penn) def. Ana Joyner (Army West Point) - 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Melody Taal (Seton Hall) def. OJ Singh (Penn) - 6-3, 6-3

First Round
Marija Curnic (Penn) def. Adi Milstein (Columbia) - 6-1, (ret.)
Lina Qostal (Penn) def. Payton Bradley (Quinnipiac) - 6-3, 6-3

Second Round
Ashley Zhu (Penn) def. Allison McCann (Dartmouth) - 6-3, 6-2
Devon Jack (Brown) def. Marija Curnic (Penn) - 6-1, 6-3
Lina Qostal (Penn) def. Mariko Iinuma (Cornell) - 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
Jimena Rodriguez-Benito (Penn) def. Jenna Friedel (Harvard) - 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Marta Kowalska (Penn) def. Julia Gabay (Marist) - 6-1, 6-2

Third Round
Ruth Crawford (Massachusetts) def. Ashley Zhu (Penn) - 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
Lina Qostal (Penn) def. Lolade Ogungbesan (Buffalo) - 6-3, 6-1
Stephanie Schrage (Princeton) def. Jimena Rodriguez-Benito (Penn) - 5-3, (ret.)
Olaya Inclan Solis (St. John's) def. Marta Kowalska (Penn) - 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

Fourth Round
Lina Qostal (Penn) def. Katrine Steffensen (Princeton) - 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4

Quarterfinals
Samantha Martinelli (Yale) def. Lina Qostal (Penn) - 6-3, 6-3

Doubles
First Round
Olaya Inclan Solis/Irina Preotescu (St. John's) def. Jimena Rodriguez-Benito/Marija Curnic (Penn) - 8-2
Natasha Irani/Asiya Dair (Boston College) def. Ashley Zhu/Ria Vaidya (Penn) - 8-7(4)
Marta Kowalska/OJ Singh (Penn) def. Brianne Lauria/Olivia Podsiebierski (Sacred Heart) - 8-3

Second Round
Marta Kowalska/OJ Singh (Penn) def. Sasha Bollweg/Jessica Brzozowska (LIU Brooklyn) - 8-1

Third Round
Alyza Benotto/Devon Jack (Brown) def. Marta Kowalska/OJ Singh (Penn) - 8-5