University of Georgia Athletics
Miami's Cohen Claims NCAA Singles Championship
May 29, 2007 | General
ATHENS, Ga. --- Top-seeded Audra Cohen of Miami had played in one NCAA singles final before, but she went home empty handed in that try. But in her second attempt Monday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, Cohen defeated Lindsey Nelson of USC in straight sets to capture the title.
Cohen and fourth-seeded Nelson played each other a week ago in the team tournament with Cohen defeating Nelson in the NCAA Round of 16 in three sets to clinch Miami’s team victory. Nelson knocked top-seeded Cohen out of last year’s NCAA Singles Championships in three sets in the Round of 16.
It looked as if Nelson may have control early, up a break at 5-3 in the opening frame. But Cohen won the next four games to close out the first set, 7-5, and five straight games to open the second set. The Trojan junior managed the next two games, but then Cohen grabbed the following. In all, she won 10 of the last 12 games.
In the semifinals, Cohen avenged her loss in the 2005 singles finals to Baylor’s Zuzana Zemenova with a straight-sets 6-2, 6-2 victory. Zemenova won the 2005 singles championship over Cohen in Athens when both were freshmen, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. But it was Cohen who won the semifinal match between the two juniors.
Cohen, who played for Northwestern her freshman year before transferring to Miami, became the only athlete to play for a singles national title in NCAA women’s tennis while at two different schools. With her title, she also became the first NCAA singles champion for the Hurricanes in women’s tennis history. Their only other title came in 1986 by Lisa Gregory and Ronnie Reis in doubles. She capped an impressive season that ends with a 42-2 overall record.
For Nelson, it was the second straight year she lost in the finals. She lost last year’s championship match to California’s Susie Babos, 6-4, 6-1.
