Riviera Tennis Club hosted the ITA Women’s All-American Tennis Championships last week and once again a Pac-10 player hoisted the singles trophy Sunday afternoon at the lower courts. Arizona State sophomore Kelcy McKenna, who entered the tournament ranked 20th in the ITA preseason rankings, extended her winning streak to nine matches with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Fani Chifchieva of Auburn in the finals. McKenna’s triumph follows back-to-back singles crowns by Cal’s Suzi Babos. McKenna’s road to the championship was far from easy. She opened with a straight sets win over Catherine Newman of Vanderbilt on Thursday and followed that by upsetting top-seeded Auralija Miseviciute of Arkansas, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. She ousted doubles semifinalist Laura Vallverdu of Miami in the quarterfinals and came from behind to beat sixth-seeded Maria Mosolova of Northwestern in a third-set tiebreaker Saturday. Georgia Tech’s Irina Falconi and Amanda McDowell won the doubles title with a 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 victory over eighth-seeded Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhov of Fresno State. Despite entering the tournament ranked 30th in the ITA rankings, the Yellowjackets’ duo rolled through the draw, eliminating top-seeded Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe of Fresno State in the quarterfinals and Duke’s third-seeded Melissa Mang and Amanda Granson, 6-2, 7-5, in the semifinals. Riviera annually hosts the WAATC, the first of three national championship events highlighting the collegiate tennis season. The second is the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia, November 6-9.
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