Ziodato Wins Singles & Doubles Flights at Ranked Spotlight Tournament

CARY, N.C. – Virginia women’s tennis senior Sara Ziodato won her singles and doubles flights at the Fall Ranked Spotlight tournament which was held Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 21-24, at the Cary Tennis Center in Cary, N.C.

Ziodato won the 32-player A2 Singles draw and partnered with fellow senior Hibah Shaikh to win three doubles matches in the G-H round robin.

On Saturday morning, Shaikh, Ziodato and Melodie Collard all won quarterfinal singles matches to advance to the semifinals of the A2 singles bracket, giving the Cavaliers three of the four remaining players in the bracket. Ziodato topped Collard to make Sunday’s final. Shaikh was edged by Ohio State’s Luciana Perry in the semifinals.

Sunday morning opened with the final doubles matches with Ziodato and Shaikh topping Leoni Nong and Xinyi Schunknecht of Miami 6-4 to take the bracket.

Ziodato then took on Perry, combing back from dropping a first-set tiebreaker to take the second two sets 6-1, 6-0 to secure the victory.

Sophomore Annabelle Xu played in the A1 singles bracket and partnered with Collard in doubles.

Saturday (Sept. 23)

• Ziodato, Collard, and Shaikh all advanced to the quarterfinals with wins in their first matches of the day.
• Ziodato topped Shahar Biran of South Carolina 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals
• Melodie Collard took down Sophie Abrams of NC State 6-2, 6-4
• The two then advanced to face one another in the semifinals. Ziodato won the battle of the Cavaliers 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the final.
• Hibah Shaikh won 7-5, 6-4 against Snow Han of USC to advance to the semifinals where she was edged 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 Luciana Perry of Ohio State.
• Annabelle Xu topped Elza Tomase of Tennessee 6-4, 7-5 in a backdraw match. She was edged 7-6 (4), 6-4 by Alina Shcherbinina of Oklahoma in an additional backdraw match Saturday afternoon.

Friday (Sept. 22)

• Shaikh, Ziodato, and Collard won two singles matches in the A2 bracket to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.
• Hibah Shikh topped Rachel Hanford of Arizona State 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 and 6-4, 6-2 against Gina Dittmann in the second round.
• Sara Ziodato won 7-5, 6-4 against Anna Zyryanova of NC State and then topped 3-seed Daria Smetannikov of Texas A&M 6-1, 6-2.
• Melodie Collard topped Marianna Argyrokastriti of Arizona State 6-4, 6-2 and then defeated Antonia Balzert of Miami 6-4, 6-2.
• Xu lost her A-bracket singles opener 7-6 (3), 6-1 against Nicole Khirin of Texas A&M. She fell 6-0, 6-7 (3), 10-8 against Charlotte Chavatipon of Texas in a backdraw match.

Thursday (Sept. 21)

• Hibah Shaikh and Sara Ziodato opened doubles play with two wins on Thursday, topping Georgia Tech’s Alejandra Cruz and Mahak Jain a 7-6 (2) and Isabella Pfennig and Antonia Balzert of Miami 7-5.
• Annabelle Xu and Melodie Collard lost their opener 6-0 against Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres of Texas A&M before falling  6-3 against Amelia Rajecki and Maddy Zampardo of NC State in a second match.

Singles competition

32 Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Rachel Hanford (Arizona State) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
16 Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Gina Dittman (NC State) 6-4, 6-2
qf Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Snow Han (Southern California) 7-5, 6-4
sf Luciana Perry (Ohio State) def. Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

32 Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Anna Zyryanova (NC State) 7-5, 6-4
16 Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Daria Smetannikov (Texas A&M) 6-1, 6-2
qf Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Shahar Biran (South Carolina) 6-4, 6-0
sf Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Melodie Collard (Virginia) 6-4, 7-5
f Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Luciana Perry (Ohio State) 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-0

32 Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. M Argyrokastriti (Arizona State) 6-4, 6-2
16 Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. Antonia Balzert (Miami) 6-4, 6-4
qf Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. Sophie Abrams (NC State) 6-2, 6-4
sf Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Melodie Collard (Virginia) 6-4, 7-5
c Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. Malkin (SCAR) 7-6 (2), 6-0

32 Nicole Khirin (Texas A&M) def. Annabelle Xu (Virginia) 7-6, 6-1
c Charlotte Chavatipon (Texas) def. Annabelle Xu (Virginia) 6-0, 6-7, 10-8
c Annabelle Xu (Virginia) def. Elza Tomase (Tennessee) 6-4, 7-5
c Alina Shcherbinina (Oklahoma) def. Annabelle Xu (Virginia) 7-6, 6-4
c Isabella Pfennig (Miami) def. Annabelle Xu (Virginia) 6-4, 6-4

Doubles competition

Hibah Shaikh/Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Alejandra Cruz/Mahak Jain (Georgia Tech) 7-6
Hibah Shaikh/Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Isabella Pfennig/Antonia Balzert (Miami) 7-5
Hibah Shaikh/Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Leonie Schuknecht/Xinyi Nong (Miami) 6-4

Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana (Texas A&M) def. Annabelle Xu/Melodie Collard (Virginia) 6-0
Amelia Rajecki/Maddy Zampardo (North Carolina) def. Annabelle Xu/Melodie Collard (Virginia) 6-3
Ariana Arseneault/Carolyn Ansari (Auburn) def. Annabelle Xu/Melodie Collard (Virginia) 7-6(3)