Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
NCAA Singles Tournament
Carlotti Upset in NCAA Second Round
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 20, 2003
FRESNO, Calif. - An early-morning wake-up call and a tough opponent proved too much for Chloe Carlotti to overcome, and the sophomore was upset by Pennsylvania's Alice Pirsu 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round of the NCAA Singles Tournament in Gainesville, Fla.
Carlotti, a 9-16 seeded player, took the court at 6 a.m. PT and never got her teeth into the match until after losing the first set 6-1. After winning the second set 6-4 and forcing a third, the two-time All-American immediately fell behind a break 3-1. But Carlotti eventually got the break back, but serving at 4-5, she was broken to lose the match.
"Chloe did not play her best today, but she really battled hard and gave herself a chance to win, and that's all you really can ask for," head coach Kevin Epley said. "Taking the court at 6 a.m. obviously isn't ideal, especially when you are playing someone from the East. But the bottom line is Chloe's opponent played well, and she deserved to win the match."
By virtue of receiving one of the tournament's top 16 seeds, Carlotti was automatically named an All-American in singles this year, the second season in a row she has earned that honor. The Parisian is the only player in program history to earn All-America accolades in singles more than once.
Just a sophomore, Carlotti put together one of the most impressive seasons in Fresno State history this year. She finishes the year 29-8 (19-2 dual) and was ranked in the top 10 for the majority of the season. Her loss today snapped a 10-match winning streak and is her first loss since falling to Emilie Scribot of Arizona on March 15.
"Today's loss is painful, but you can't say enough about the year Chloe had," Epley said. "For a sophomore do be as successful as she's been is amazing. The thought of her anchoring the top of our lineup again next year is very, very exciting."
For Pirsu, who was ranked in the top 20 for part of the year, the victory marked a sense of revenge. She lost to Carlotti 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 during the dual match season when Pennsylvania and Fresno State played at the Wathen Tennis Center.
"I faced her earlier this year and won, so I knew it was going to be a tough match," Carlotti said. "This time it was the other way around."
Carlotti's season isn't quite over yet. At 9:30 a.m. PT, she is scheduled to play a doubles match with partner Lucia Tallo. The Bulldog duo will play California's Raquel Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano, a 5-8 seed in the tournament.
