ITA Summer Circuit Information
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ââ'¬" Four Purdue women's tennis players found success while playing in the third week (July 8-11) of the ITA Summer Circuit at various locations. Andjela Djokovic captured an open doubles title and incoming freshman Caitlin Calkins won an open singles championship.
The ITA Summer Circuit spans six weekends from June to July, featuring 50 tournaments in 24 states. Each weekend features 7 to 10 different college campus host locations. Players that advance out of the qualifying tournaments will take part in the ITA Summer Nationals August 13 to 16 in Bloomington, Indiana.
Djokovic was in action on her home courts of the Schwartz Tennis Center. Paired with Sara Castellano of Manhattan, Kansas, the duo went 4-0 on their way to the doubles title. The second-seeded tandem disposed of Minnesota's Caitlyn Merzbacher and Mehvish Safdar 8-1 in the finals. Djokovic and Castellano surrendered no more than three games in any of their matches.
Calkins played true to her No. 1 seed with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 showing against third-seeded Alexis Czapinski of Lawrence, Kansas, in the title match at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex in Wichita, Kansas. After receiving a bye in the round of 32, Calkins rattled off three victories in straight sets to advance to the finals.
Fellow incoming freshman Alexandra Sabe was the runner-up at the Fairfield, Connecticut, location. As the No. 2 seed in the 64-player draw, Sabe cruised into the finals with four wins coming in straight sets, limiting her opponents to just one game in four sets. The tables were turned however in the championship match versus Ellyse Hamlin of Fairfield, suffering a 6-2, 6-4 setback.
In the 64-player singles draw at the Schwartz Tennis Center, Deborah Suarez made easy work of her first two opponents, dropping just two games. She followed with two more straight-set victories to get into the semifinals. Her run was halted in a tiebreaker match with Nebraska signee Clair Reifeis 2-6, 6-3, 10-5.
Due to the fact the draw filled before Djokovic was able to register, she was unable to play in the main draw, however she was granted a spot in the consolation bracket after a player had to withdraw. Djokovic made the most of the opportunity by stringing together five consecutive wins. She used a 6-4, 6-1 match to beat Emily Luetschwager of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in the consolation finals.
