Ciolkowski Into the Finals at ITA Carolina Regional Singles Championships

Oct. 23, 2011

Draws/Results/Updates CHAPEL HILL, NC – Junior Nelly Ciolkowksi will try to become the third Tiger to claim the ITA Carolina Regional Singles title in four years, as she has advanced to the final on Monday at 9:00 AM. The Neuilly-Plaisance, France native won in straight sets over Jaklin Alawi of South Carolina and Mary Clayton of Duke on Saturday to advance to the finals. She will play North Carolina’s Lauren McHale, on her home court. Josipa Bek and Keri Wong, ranked No. 1 nationally and the top overall seed in the tournament, earned a spot in the doubles semifinals as well, with an 8-4 win over Joelle Kissell and Ashley Miller of NC State in the Quarterfinals. It was Bek’s 101st doubles win in her career, second only to former teammate Ina Hadziselimovic’s 105, which she set in 2010. Bek and Wong are the defending doubles champions. Event winners will go on to the ITA National Indoor Championships in Flushing, NY to play other regional winners for a national championship. Bek, the 2008 and 2009 singles champion, is the last Tiger to win the singles event, which features players from all universities in North and South Carolina. Ciolkowski, who played a couple of three-setters on Saturday, made much quicker work on Sunday, dispatching both opponents while dropping only five games to each of them. She topped Jaklin Alawi of South Carolina, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the semis, where she upset 63rd-ranked Mary Clayton of Duke, 6-3, 6-2. Ciolkowski is ranked 83rd nationally. McHale has already defeated Tiger Keri Wong in the round of 16, by a 6-3, 6-4 count. McHale will also team with Haley Hemm to take on Wong and Bek in the semifinals, meaning she will go against Clemson Tigers in both of her matches Monday. The singles title is up for grabs at 9:00 am, while the doubles action starts at 11:30 AM. In other action, Ciolkowski and doubles partner Monika Kochanova were ousted from the doubles Quarterfinals by McHale and Hemm, which means they avoided a matchup with Bek and Wong in the Semis. Results (Through Sunday)Doubles:Thursday:Rd. of 64: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. Chemaya/Yegorevchenko (CAMP), 8-4 Friday:Rd. of 32: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Jansaker/Khoury (Elon), 8-0Rd. of 32: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. Beme/Stavreva (Elon), 8-2Saturday:Rd. of 16: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Alkema/Garcia (WIN), 8-2Rd. of 16: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. (5) Clayton/Mulholland (DUKE), 9-7Sunday:Quarterfinals: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Kissell/Miller (NCSU), 8-4Quarterfinals: (4) Hemm/McHale (UNC) def. Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU), 8-5Monday:Semifinals: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) v. (4) Hemm/McHale (UNC), 11:30 AMSingles:Friday:Rd. of 64: #8 Josipa Bek (CU) def. Erica White (G-W), 6-1, 6-1Rd. of 64: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Christina Riley (UNC-W), 6-0, 6-1Rd. of 64: #32 Keri Wong (CU) def. Ainhoa Diaz (WCU), 6-1, 6-0Rd. of 64: Monika Kochanova (CU) def. Christy Sipes (NCSU), 6-1, 6-3Saturday:Rd. of 32: #8 Josipa Bek (CU) def. Lauren Kline (FUR), 6-3, 6-2Rd. of 32: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Ryann Cutillo (WF), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4Rd. of 32: #32 Keri Wong (CU) def. Alex Whitehead (UNC-G), 6-1, 6-0Rd. of 32:  #104 Hanna Mar (DUKE) def. Monika Kochanova (CU), 5-1, ret. inj.Rd. of 16: Monica Turewicz (DUKE) def. #8 Josipa Bek (CU), 6-1, 7-6(6)Rd. of 16: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Nitooli Wilkins (UNC-G), 2-6, 6-3 6-0Rd. of 16: Lauren McHale (UNC) def. #32 Keri Wong (CU), 6-3, 6-4Sunday:Quarterfinals: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Jaklin Alawi (USC), 6-2, 6-3Semifinals: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. #63 Mary Clayton (DUKE), 6-3, 6-2Monday:Finals: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) v. Lauren McHale (UNC), 9:00 AM