Duke's McCain ends Pirsu's run at Riviera invite

Alice Pirsu had waited nearly five months for this match.

Just as her match against Duke's Kelly McCain was getting under way in the second round of last spring's NCAA tournament, Pirsu's Penn team was eliminated, prematurely ending a much-anticipated matchup.

At this weekend's Riviera ITA/All-America Championships, the two met again for a match that was long overdue.

But when the dust settled, McCain emerged victorious.

On Sunday, the fourth-seeded McCain narrowly defeated Pirsu, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

"Alice played a pretty good match, but [McCain] had some big points, she was hitting some deep, heavy balls," Penn coach Michael Dowd said. "It just took Alice a while to get used to the pace."

Pirsu's easy victory in the first round of play over Ohio States's Sandhaf Pervez was a "double-edged sword," which left her unprepared to face the fifth-ranked McCain.

"She started off much faster that I was ready for. She didn't give me a chance to adjust, to get in the groove," Pirsu said.

"By the second match, though, I was more consistent but also more aggressive. It was just a matter of a few points."

McCain went on to crush two more top-ranked players before meeting 11th-ranked Nataly Cahana of Old Dominion in the final.

As a freshman, McCain had reached two national semifinals last season before falling to Cahana.

This Sunday, however, McCain proved what a difference a year can make as she overwhelmed Cahana, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to win the title.

"After this tournament, it's a pretty good bet that she'll be ranked first in the nation. It's definitely a testament to Alice's caliber of tennis that the match was so close," Dowd said.

Pirsu's tournament run began on Thursday with an encouraging win over Pervez,the nation's No. 89 player, whom she crushed in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.

"[Pervez] was Ohio State's top player, and Alice just destroyed her," Dowd said. "She just did everything better. She didn't let [Pervez] even get her bearings."

Two other Quakers traveled to the West Coast in early October in hopes of securing a spot at the prestigious tournament by making their mark in the pre-qualifying rounds.

Although they put in solid performances, first-time invites Sanela Kunovac and Nikki Ptak were routed on their path to the main draw in the first and second rounds of play, respectively.

After being similarly knocked out of the qualifying rounds at last year's ITA Championships, this weekend marked Pirsu's first appearance at the main draw.

Having earned All-American honors at last year's NCAA Championships, Pirsu received an automatic invite to the main draw at the ITA Championships.

"In terms of prestige, the ITA Championships are right up there with the NCAA Championships as the top tournaments in the country," Dowd said. "It's very selective, very competitive to qualify. You basically have the top 32 players in the country."

Next weekend, the Quakers head to Harvard to compete in the ITA Regional Championships.

Pirsu will get a chance to settle the score with McCain and the Blue Devils when the Red and Blue open their spring season against Duke in January.

"When I see her again, it will be completely different. Now, I know what her game is like, and I can get a better start," Pirsu said.

"I want to prove that I can play with the best."

With a singles record of 9-2 to date this season, there are no doubts that Pirsu has a bright spring ahead of her.

"There are only a handful of players in the country right now at Alice's level," Dowd said. "She just has to keep on this track, hitting on all cylinders, and no one will be able to stop her."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.