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Southwestern University

Kesterson and Ziehm Win ITA Regional Doubles Championship

Kesterson and Ziehm Win ITA Regional Doubles Championship
Posted: Oct 03, 2021

HOUSTON — Alli Ziehm and Emma Kesterson delivered the Southwestern women's tennis program's second ITA Regional Doubles Championship in the first all-Southwestern final in school history. 

In the championship match, Ziehm and Kesterson defeated teammates Nina Mitrofanova and Lydia Lee, winning 6-4, 6-4, to become the program's newest All-Americans and the second Southwestern doubles team to win the ITA Regional Championship. 

Kate Daugherty and Esther Bowers '21 previously won the doubles championship in 2017, making it to the ITA Oracle Cup semifinals. 

"The doubles championship came with mixed emotions as it was very special to have the first all-Southwestern final in program history," Southwestern head tennis coach Billy Porter says. "The incredible level of tennis by both teams made the challenge of watching teammates play each other just that much easier." 

Ziehm and Kesterson first teamed late last season, making their debut as a doubles team against Mary Hardin-Baylor in the second-to-last match of the regular season. The duo became the first Southwestern doubles team to defeat Trinity, besting Nichole Markiewicz and Elodie Richard 8-5. They went on to post a 6-1 record, going undefeated until the Elite 8, losing in a match against eventual national champion Emory. 

The pair upset the No. 2 seed to advance to the finals, defeating the University of Texas at Dallas's Samantha Wong and Elyssa Ducret 8-4. On the other side of the bracket, Mitrofanova and Lee defeated Trinity's Megan Flores and Cate Cushing 8-6. 

"Alli and Emma were in complete control for the entire match and took down the number two seed convincingly," Porter says. "Nina and Lydia had a back and forth battle with the number one seed. They showed great resilience after being broken at 7-4, serving for the match. Then, serving for it again, going down 0-30 to win four consecutive points to close it out." 

In the singles semifinals, Kesterson lost to the University of Texas at Dallas's Suzuka Nishino 6-2, 6-4, and Lee lost to Wong 6-3, 6-4. 

"Emma and Lydia had some tough matchups in the singles semifinals," Porter says. "Lydia played at a very high level consistently, and Emma fought for every point until the end, playing strong tennis." 

Ziehm and Kesterson will compete in the ITA Cup in Rome, Ga. The tournament opens Thursday, Oct. 14, and ends Sunday, Oct. 17.