FLORENCE, SC – Senior Julie Martincova rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to win in a tie-breaker and lift Francis Marion University to a 4-3 upset of six-seeded Emmanuel College (Ga.), Friday morning (Apr. 21) in the first-round of the Conference Carolinas Women's Tennis Tournament.
 
The three-day event is being held at the Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center.
 
Seventh-seeded Francis Marion (10-10) advances to play third-seeded University of Mount Olive in the quarterfinal round later Friday at 2 p.m.  The semifinals are set for Saturday at 9 a.m. and the championship match is slated for Sunday morning.
 
The Patriots made quick work of the Lions in capturing the doubles point.  Junior Julia Pinto and sophomore Sophia Hansen won 6-0 at the No.3 position and senior Gabriel Karatantcheva and sophomore Kim Venghaus were victorious 6-0 at the No.2 rung.
 
FMU freshman Chelsea Seidewitz upped the advantage to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No.2 singles, improving her season singles mark to 14-3. Hansen followed with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory at No.5 to give the Patriots a 3-0 lead.
 
However, Emmanuel rallied to win at singles spots No.6, No.1, and No.4 – all in three sets – to deadlock the match at 3-3.
 
At the No.3 position, Martincova won the opening set 6-4, but lost the second set 6-3, and trailed 5-2 as all eyes were set on the final remaining match.  She rallied to win the next four games to lead 6-5, but lost her serve and the match went to a third-set tiebreaker.  Martincova won the first five points before her opponent came back to within 5-4.  Martincova then won the next two points to advance the Patriots to the quarterfinals.
 
 
Women's Tennis Match Results
04/21/2023 at Florence, SC  (Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center)
Francis Marion University 4, Emmanuel College (GA) 3
Singles competition
1. Alejandra Guerrero (ECWT) def. G. Karatantcheva (FMU_W) 2-6, 6-1, 7-5
2. Chelsea Seidewitz (FMU_W) def. Soleny Gonzalez (ECWT) 6-2, 6-2
3. Julie Martincova (FMU_W) def. Victoria Rodriguez (ECWT) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Eve Robinson (ECWT) def. Kim Venghaus (FMU_W) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Sophia Hansen (FMU_W) def. Darja Chistov (ECWT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
6. Sabina Roua (ECWT) def. Julia Pinto (FMU_W) 6-4, 0-6, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Darja Chistov/Sabina Roua (ECWT) vs. Chelsea Seidewitz/Julie Martincova (FMU_W) 5-2, unfinished
2. G. Karatantcheva/Kim Venghaus (FMU_W) def. Victoria Rodriguez/Shatavisa Ghosh (ECWT) 6-0
3. Julia Pinto/Sophia Hansen (FMU_W) def. Lauren Castillon/Eve Robinson (ECWT) 6-0
 
Match Notes:  Francis Marion University 10-10 (7 seed)
Emmanuel College (GA) 9-11 (6 seed)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,5,6,1,4,3)
Conference Carolinas Women's Tennis Tournament First-Round Match
T-3:41