Shaikh and Subhash Win ITA Regional Doubles Title

LYNCHBURG, Va. –  Virginia women’s tennis senior Hibah Shaikh and grad student Natasha Subhash won the ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles title at the tournament held Oct. 19-23 at the Liberty Tennis Complex in Lynchburg, Va.

Shaikh finished as the runner-up in the singles tournament.

Subhash, Shaikh and senior Sara Ziodato all advanced to Sunday’s singles quarterfinals, Ziodato, the top seed in the singles draw, fell in three sets against Selma Cadar of Maryland. Subhash and Shaikh faced one another in the quarterfinals with Shaikh coming out ahead 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.

In Monday’s semifinals, Shaikh topped Kallista Liu of Maryland 6-2, 6-2 before being edged 6-4, 7-6 (3) by Cadar in the final.

Shaikh and Subhash won three matches to move into the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament. They advanced to the semifinals via walkover and then battled Liza Askarova and Alexandra Staiculescu of Delaware for a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6) victory to earn their spot in Monday’s final where they topped Cadar and her partner Mary Brumfield 6-0, 6-0.

With their finishes in the regional, Shaikh and Subhash have qualified to compete in the ITA Fall National Championships, being held Nov. 1-5 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif. Shaikh will play in the singles championship and both will compete in doubles. Junior Mélodie Collard and sophomore Annabelle Xu had previously qualified for the doubles draw with their finalist finish at the ITA All-American.

This is Subhash’s first ITA Atlantic Regional doubles title after winning the singles draw in her freshman and junior seasons. This is Shaikh’s best finish in both singles and doubles.

Players from 25 teams competed as individuals in singles and doubles at the ITA Regional. Play began on Thursday with one day of qualifying for the 64-player main singles draw and the 64-team doubles draw.

Nicole Kiefer competed in singles qualifying.  Ziodato was the top seed in the singles main draw while Subhash was the 3-seed. Blanca Pico Navarro, Collard and Xu also competed in the singles main draw.

Xu and Collard were the top seed in the doubles draw while Subhash and Shaikh were seeded third. Kiefer and Pico Navarro and Ziodato and Meggie Navarro also compete in the doubles draw.

Monday, Oct. 23

• Shaikh defeated Kallista Liu of Maryland 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals but was edged 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the final by Selma Cadar of Maryland
• Subhash and  Shaikh downed 7-seed Mary Brumfield and Cadar of Maryland 6-0, 6-0 in the final

Sunday, Oct. 22

• Shaikh topped Subhash 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals
• Ziodato fell 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 against 8-seed Selma Cadar of Maryland in the quarterfinals
• Subhash and Shaikh had a walkover in the doubles quarterfinals. They battled Liza Askarova and Alexandra Staiculescu of Delaware for a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6) victory in the semifinals
• Collard won a consolation match against Maja Dodik of West Virginia 6-4, 6-1

Saturday, Oct. 21

• Ziodato topped Erika Cheng of Virginia Tech 6-1, 6-4 in the Round of 32
• Shaikh won 6-1, 6-2 against Mary Brumfield of Maryland
• Subhash topped Yu Chen of William & Mary 6-2, 6-0
• Xu won 6-2, 6-4 against Laima Frosch of Virginia Tech
• Subhash won 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 against Maria Parra Romero of Liberty in the Round of 16
• Shaikh topped Alexandra Viktrovich of ODU 6-0, 6-2
• Blanca Pico Navarro fell 7-6 (4), 6-2 against 8-seed Selma Cadar of Maryland
• Ziodato won 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 against Sofia Johnson of ODU
• Xu fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 against Kallista Liu of Maryland
• Collard topped Allison Isaacs of ODU 6-4, 6-3 in a consolation match
• Subhash and Shaikh topped Elsa Kirch and Priscilla Janikian of Liberty 8-1
• Subhash and Shaikh won 8-5 against  Sofiya Chekhlystova and Jordina Cegarra Ramirez of Penn State in the Round of 16
• Meggie Navarro and Ziodato won 8-2 against Ozlem Uslu and Sabina Richtrova of Virginia Tech
• Navarro and Ziodato fell 8-2 against 6-seed Maria Budin and Minorka Miranda of Maryland in the Round of 16
• Xu and Collard, the top seed in the draw, had a first round bye. They fell 8-3 against Catherine Broerman and Hope Moulin of JMU in the Round of 32

Friday, Oct. 20

• Ziodato won 6-4, 6-3 against Momoko Nagato of West Virginia
• Pico Navarro won 7-6 (3), 6-2 against Johanna Strom of Marshall
• Collard fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Stella Wiesmann of George Washington
• Shaikh won 6-1, 6-4 against  Mariya Hrynashka of Delaware
• Subhash won 6-3, 6-0 against Diya Challa of Maryland
• Xu won 6-2, 6-2 against Alina Lebedeva of Penn State
• Nicole Kiefer and Pico Navarro fell 8-4 against  Sofia Kostirko and Margherita Trolese of Mount St. Mary’s
• Ziodato and Navarro won 8-3 against Stella Wiesemann and Victorie Sasinka of George Washington
• Subhash and Shaikh won 8-5 against  Yelizaveta Karlova and Emma Valletta of VCU

Thursday, Oct. 19

• Kiefer fell 6-3, 6-3 against Claire Le Du of Richmond at 9 a.m. in the first round of qualifying
• Kiefer topped Emily Brandow of Radford 62, 4-6, 10-7 in a consolation match

Singles competition
64 Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Momoko Nagato (West Virginia) 6-4, 6-3
64 Blanca Pico Navarro (Virginia) def. Johanna Strom (Marshall) 7-6, 6-2
64 Stella Wiesmann (George Washington) def. Melodie Collard (Virginia) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
64 Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Mariya Hrynashka (Delaware) 6-1, 6-4
64 Natasha Subhash (Virginia) def. Diya Challa (Maryland) 6-3, 6-0
64 Annabelle Xu (Virginia) def. Alina Lebedeva (Penn State) 6-2, 6-2

32 Selma Cadar (Maryland) def. Blanca Pico Navarro (Virginia) 7-6, 6-2
32 Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Erika Cheng (Virginia Tech) 6-1, 6-4
32 Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Mary Brumfield (Maryland) 6-1, 6-2
32 Natasha Subhash (Virginia) def. Yu Chen (William and Mary) 6-2, 6-0
32 Annabelle Xu (Virginia) def. Laima Frosch (Virginia Tech) 6-2, 6-4
32 Selma Cadar (Maryland) def. Blanca Pico Navarro (Virginia) 7-6, 6-2

16 Natasha Subhash (Virginia) def. M Parra Romero (Liberty) 6-0, 2-6, 6-1
16 Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. A. Viktorovich (Old Dominion University) 6-0, 6-2
16 Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Sofia Johnson (Old Dominion University) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
16 Annabelle Xu (Virginia) def. Kallista Liu (Maryland) 6-3, 6-4, 6-0

qf Selma Cadar (Maryland) def. Sara Ziodato (Virginia) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
qf Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Natasha Subhash (Virginia) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4

sf Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Kalista Liu (Maryland) 6-2, 6-2
f Selma Cadar (Maryland) def. Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) 6-4, 7-6

q Claire Le Du (Richmond) def. Nicole Kiefer (Virginia) 6-3, 6-3
c Nicole Kiefer (Virginia) def. Emily Brandow (Radford) 6-2, 4-6, 10-7
c Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. Allison Isaacs (Old Dominion University) 6-4, 6-3
c Melodie Collard (Virginia) def. Maja Dodik (West Virginia) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition
64 Sofia Kostirko/Margherita Trolese (Mount St. Mary’s) def. Nicole Kiefer/Blanca Pico Navarro (Virginia) 8-4
64 Sara Ziodato/Meggie Navarro (Virginia) def. Stella Wiesmann/Victorie Sasinka (George Washington) 8-3
64 Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Yelizaveta Karlova/Emma Valletta (Va Commonwealth Universi) 8-5

32 Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Elsa Kirch/Priscilla Janikian (Liberty) 8-0
32 Cate Broerman/Hope Moulin (James Madison) def. Annabelle Xu/Melodie Collard (Virginia) 8-3
32 Meggie Navarro/Sara Ziodato (Virginia) def. Ozlem Uslu/Sabina Richtrova (Virginia Tech) 8-2

16 Maria Budin/Minokra Miranda (Maryland) def. Meggie Navarro/Sara Ziodato (Virginia) 8-2
16 Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Sofiya Chekhlystova/Jordina Cegarra (Penn State) 8-5

qf Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Maria Budin/Minokra Miranda (Maryland) w/o
sf Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia)  def. A. Staiculescu/Eliza Askarova (Delaware) 7-6, 7-0
f Natasha Subhash/Hibah Shaikh (Virginia) def. Selma Cadar/Mary Brumfield (Maryland) 6-0, 6-0