Vecic Advances to ITF Macon 80K Round of 16

Monday, October 16

Macon, Ga.

University of Georgia

Macon 80K

October 18, 2023 | Women's Tennis

Macon, Ga. — Coming off back-to-back victories in the qualifying draw, sophomore Alexandra Vecic's run continues after she secured a battle-tested 7-6(6), 7-6(3) victory in the ITF Macon 80K main draw round of 32 on Wednesday.

Vecic now moves on to the round of 16 with a 9-3 singles record this season as the Singen, Germany native has now won five of her last six matches in ITF tournament action.

Facing off against the WTA No. 160 ranked player and No. 7 seed Julia Riera, Vecic opened the first set strong as she quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Riera pulled within one game at 3-2 before Vecic overcame two advantage points for the opposition and took the seventh game to lead 5-2. Riera leveled the match at 5-5 followed by split points to force a first set tiebreaker. A back-and-forth battle saw Riera take a 4-2 lead in the tiebreaker, but Vecic sparked some momentum late in the set to win six of the last eight points and secure the first set 7-6(6).

Heading into the second set, all momentum leaned opposite as Riera took an early 4-1 lead. Vecic remained composed as she played herself into a one game deficit at 4-3 and 5-4 to stay close in the match. After leveling the match at 5-5, both players split the next two games once again to force a second consecutive tiebreaker in as many sets. Sitting at a 2-2 score line in the tiebreaker, Vecic stepped up in crunch time to take five of the next six points and secure a 7-6(6), 7-6(3) straight set victory.

Riding on a three-match win streak, Vecic will now face wild card Alexa Noel in the round of 16 on Thursday for a spot in the quarterfinals.

ITF MACON 80K
Date: Monday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 22
Location: Macon, Ga.
Venue: John Drew Smith Tennis Center
Live Video: https://bit.ly/46uVj7f
Live Stats: bit.ly/3FkP5Lk

Singles Results: Main Draw Round of 32
Alexandra Vecic (UGA) def. [7] Julia Riera 7-6(6), 7-6(3)

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Women's Tennis on X @UGAWomensTennis, on Instagram @UGAWomensTennis, and on Facebook @GeorgiaWomensTennis or check out information online at GeorgiaDogs.com.