Wayne State University Athletics

Zack Belsky/WSU Athletics

Anais Ruyssen and Marta Komar have won back-to-back matches at the ITA Cup.

Women's Tennis 10/13/2023 10:13:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Ruyssen and Komar Semifinals-Bound at ITA Cup

The WSU team won in the quarterfinals on Friday to earn a place in the final four.

ROME, Ga. -- The Wayne State University women's tennis duo of Anais Ruyssen (Nantes, France) and Marta Komar (Inowroclaw, Poland) remained in contention for the Division II doubles title at the ITA Cup following a quarterfinals victory at the Rome Tennis Center on Friday.

The top-seeded redshirt junior pairing for the bracket posted another dominant effort in their contest against Mariana Ramirez and Nikoline Gullacksen. Ruyssen and Komar defeated the Columbus State team 6-0, 6-2 to earn a spot in the final four. They had previously earned a 6-0, 6-1 triumph in the Round of 16 on Thursday.

The ITA had issues with rain for a majority of the afternoon and evening, so doubles matches in the main bracket were moved indoors following a delay. Quarterfinals action was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Saturday afternoon will feature the two semifinals at 2:30 p.m. from the Rome Tennis Center. The Green and Gold tandem will next face third-seeded Deniza Marcinkevica and Greta Schieroni from Lynn University at that time. A victory would send the top Wayne State doubles team to the finals at 6:30 p.m.

Fourth-seeded Freya Davies and Natalie Espinal from Nova Southeastern will duel with second-seeded Estefania Garcia and Regina Urbiola Armenta from Auburn University at Montgomery in the alternate semifinal.

Ruyssen and Komar have now won a pair of matches after qualifying for the ITA Cup as one of the eight at-large bids. Their appearance marked the first time since 2009 that a member of the WSU women's tennis team represented the Green and Gold at the championship event.

The ITA Cup, formerly known as the Small College Nationals, has a history dating back to 1986. It is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels. In 2022, more than 8,000 players participated in 60 regional tournaments to gain entry into the ITA Cup field.

One final day of matches is guaranteed for the Warrior team on Saturday. Should the two be the last team standing, they'll have other matches on Sunday, October 15 and Monday, October 16.

The ITA Cup is being hosted by Berry College for a seventh consecutive year, dating back to 2017.

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Players Mentioned

Marta Komar: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Players Mentioned

Marta Komar
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Anais Ruyssen
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior