CARY, N.C.– Senior Esha Velaga fell in the Round of 64 at the ITA All-American Championships this weekend after earning two singles victories. As an alternate, Velaga received another opportunity to compete in the qualifying draw Monday afternoon, but was unable to advance further.
Velaga opened the tournament Saturday in the Round of 256, defeating Pietra Rivoli from the University of South Carolina, 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the next round.
The senior returned to the court Sunday morning for the Round of 128, competeing against Vanderbilt's Mia Yamakita. After dropping the opening set, 3-6, the Quaker responded with a pair of hard-fought victories, taking the second set, 6-4, before edging out Yamakita, 7-5, in the third. Both sets featured back-and-forth play as the games ran long and proved to be a demanding test of endurance to complete the comeback and advance.
In the Round of 64 Sunday afternoon, Velaga faced Marta Mariia Makarova of UCF. Makarova claimed the opening set, 6-3, before the Penn player answered in the second, cruising to a 6-1 victory to even the match. Makarova ultimately took the deciding set, 6-3, ending Velaga's run at the ITA All-American Championships.
However, Velaga was then selected as an alternate to compete in the qualifying draw, giving the Penn player another opportunity to take the court. She faced No. 10 Jantje Tilbuerger of the University of Central Florida, fighting through a closely contested opening set before falling, 5-7. The Quaker responded with a strong second set, earning a 6-3 victory to even the match. Tilbuerger ultimately prevailed in the deciding set, 6-2, bringing Velaga's weekend to a close.
The senior's performance marked another strong showing at the ITA All-American Championships after she competed in the main draw of the tournament in 2025.
UP NEXT
Penn women's tennis will return home to host the Penn Invitational at the Hamlin/Hecht Tennis Centers from Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 27. The Quakers will welcome teams from West Virginia, Drexel, and Yale.
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