BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Slippery Rock University women's tennis program had a successful start to the 2025 ITA Atlantic Region Championships Thursday at the Burt Reese Tennis Center in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
 
Following the first day of competition, SRU will send one team into the second round of the doubles bracket and four athletes into the singles tournament Round of 32.
 
The day started with Slippery Rock's doubles entries splitting their opening-round bouts.
 
SRU's second-seeded pairing of Nicole Kempton and Alissia Kivi beat West Chester's Delaney Tingle and Alexandra Cave in 8-2 fashion while Dari Sakhanova and Nadia Rodewald were narrowly edged by IUP's Ifigeneia Kafka and Maria Moskaltsova in a tight 8-6 decision.
 
Kempton and Kivi, who are now 5-3 this season as a team, will face Charleston's Riva Hondiashvilli and Viola Hirzberger in Friday's Round of 16.
 
Following the conclusion of the doubles draw first round singles competition took center stage as top-seeded, and defending regional champion, Amaia Balaguer Brau downed Ariel Kelsick of East Stroudsburg 6-1, 6-1 to improve her record in 2025 to 6-2 and set up a second-round match with Kutztown's Isabela De Nadia.
 
Slippery Rock's seeded entries continued to roll with No. 3 Kivi earning a 6-3, 6-3 win over Salem's Ekaterina Korsakova and No. 6 Kempton outlasting Charleston's Maria Gomez Yanes 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
 
Following their Thursday wins, Kempton will now face Sneha Sundaraneedi of West Virginia Wesleyan and Kivi will play Lara Smith of Fairmont State Friday in the second round. Kivi remains undefeated with a 7-0 record while Kempton improved to a nearly flawless 5-1 with her victory.
 
Sakhanova also advanced to the second round after IUP's Elina Mondani withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Cecilia Carayol (Edinboro) will be Sakhanova's opponent in the second round. Sakhanova is 1-0 in her career against Carayol. 
 
The lone loss for The Rock in the opening round came when fourth-seeded Sofiia Krasikova of Charleston defeated Rodewald 6-3, 6-0.
 
Competition at the ITA Atlantic Region Championships resumes Friday morning. The doubles Round of 16 and quarterfinals will be conducted as well as the singles second round and Round of 16.
 
SRU FIRST ROUND RESULTS
SINGLES
No. 1 Amaia Balaguer Brau def. Ariel Kelsick (ESU): 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 Alissia Kivi def. Ekaterina Korsakova (SU): 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 Nicole Kempton def. Maria Gomez Yanes (UC): 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
No. 15 Dari Sakhanova def. Elina Mondani (IUP): Default
No. 4 Sofiia Krasikova (UC) def. Nadia Rodewald: 6-3, 6-0
 
DOUBLES
No. 2 Kivi / Kempton def. Delaney Tingle / Alexandra Cave (WCU): 8-2
Ifigeneia Kafka / Maria Moskaltsova (IUP) def. No. 8 Sakhanova / Rodewald: 8-6
 
 
 
 
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