For the first time since 2015, a member of the Gators women’s tennis team will reach the semifinals of the NCAA singles tournament. However, it will also come with a Gator loss as senior Belinda Woolcock and Anna Danilina will face each other in the semifinals on Saturday.
Danilina enters the match on a hot streak having won her last 16 singles matches. On Friday, the junior battled and beat No. 13 Ellen Perez of Georgia in a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (3) match. Perez had dominated Woolcock 6-2, 6-1 in the Gators’ 4-1 loss to Georgia in March. However, Danilina was able to avenge her teammate’s loss in order to face her in the next round.
After losing in last year’s round of 16, Woolcock had a better outcome this season. The Melbourne, Australia native cruised through LSU’s Joana Valle Costa to earn a 6-3, 6-1 win.
"My aggressive style worked well for me today,” Woolcock said in a release. “I feel like I was really diligent in moving up on the court, especially with (Joana Valle Costa’s) type of game style.”
In doubles action, Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan lived up to their defending national champions title as the pair beat Arkansas' Shannon Hudson and Giulia Pairone 7-5, 6-1. The two will go up against California’s Maya Jansen and Maegan Manasse on Saturday.
Danilina and Woolcock will face each other at 10 a.m. Saturday while Austin and Keegan take the court at 3 p.m.
Contact Spencer at sthompson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @spencemthompson.
UF's Anna Danilina returns a ball during Florida's 6-1 win over USF on Jan. 27, 2016, at the Ring Tennis Complex.
