Results
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Amaia Balaguer Brau won the singles title to lead the Slippery Rock University women's tennis team on day four of 2024 ITA Atlantic Region Championships at the Burt Reese Tennis Center in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
The victory secures an automatic berth for Balaguer Brau into the ITA Cup Oct. 10-13 in Rome, Georgia.
Formerly known as the Small College Nationals, the ITA Cup has a history dating back to 1986. It is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels. In 2024, more than 8,000 players have participated in 60 regional tournaments to gain entry into the ITA Cup field.
Balaguer Brau, who was the top-seeded entry in the tournament, capped off her championship run by defeating Charleston's Sofia Krasikova in Monday's final 6-4, 7-5.
After trailing 3-0 to start the opener, Balaguer Brau battled back to even the contest at 3-3 before eventually taking the 6-4 victory. Similarly in the second set, Balaguer Brau found herself in a 3-1 hole before again mounting a rally that saw her even the score at 5-5 on the way to the championship-deciding 7-5 decision.
Balaguer Brau, who won six consecutive matches to capture her championship, is the first SRU athlete to win a regional title in singles competition since Jessica Bungo in 2003.
Now in her second year at SRU, Balaguer Brau has been dominant for The Rock since transferring from Saint Thomas Aquinas prior to the start of the 2023-24 season.
A year ago, Balaguer Brau earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division Athlete of the Year honors after recording a 19-9 singles record to go with a 15-10 doubles mark. So far this season, the Benicarlo, Spain native has already gone 8-1 in singles matches highlighted by Monday's championship.
Also representing The Rock Monday was the team of
Nicole Kempton and
Alissia Kivi, who earned a spot in the doubles championship against Ming Deewajee and Dani Ramos of Indiana (Pa.) after winning four straight matches to secure their spot in the title match that IUP's duo ultimately won 6-3, 7-6 (7-1).
The runner-up finish for Kivi and Kempton was the best showing at the regional championships for a Rock pairing since Lois Page and Viola Lugmayr won the event in 2019.
Kivi and Kempton have registered an impressive 10-2 record as a team through the early stages of the 2024-25 season and have the chance to earn an at-large bid into the ITA Cup doubles draw.
The field for the 2024 ITA Cup will be announced in the coming weeks.
Slippery Rock continues individual tournament competition when it returns to Bloomsburg Oct. 5-6 at the Fall Flighted Championships.
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