Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's tennis team concluded the final day of the ITA Regional Championships on Monday, September 16, in Allendale, Michigan.

Entering Monday, the Warriors held a 10-2 record in singles and an unblemished 6-0 record in doubles. Junior Martyna Szpakowska from Gdansk, Poland, and senior Anais Ruyssen from Nantes, France, competed in the Flight A singles semifinals. Ruyssen was defeated by Anamarija Kovacevic of Findlay with scores of 6-3 and 6-4. Szpakowska fell to eventual champion Tyffaine Pais of Indianapolis with scores of 3-6, 6-0, and 6-2.

In doubles competition, Malak Arafat from Alexandria, Egypt, and Martyna Szpakowska triumphed over Emily Barrett and Jemimah Choi of Tiffin with a score of 8-4. Dea Gorgidze from Tbilisi, Georgia, and Anais Ruyssen also secured victory against Paula Ballesteros and Defne Ursane from Southwest Baptist with a score of 9-7. The two Wayne State pairs faced off in a competitive final match where Arafat and Szpakowska emerged victorious against Gorgidze and Ruyssen with scores of 2-6, 6-3, and 11-9. This win earned Szpakowska and Arafat a spot in the ITA Cup.

This marks the first time since 2002 that a pair has won the ITA Regional Championships for Wayne State University and is only the second instance in program history. Wayne State has now been represented four times in the ITA Cup; their most recent appearance was in 2023 when Ruyssen and her partner Marta Komar received an at-large bid.

Head Coach Yahsha Moore expressed pride in her team's performance: "I'm very proud of how the girls were able to show up and compete this weekend. Playing three to four matches a day is really tough, but they were able to stay focused. The girls playing each other in the finals is a bittersweet situation because it's always tough when your opponent is your teammate, but they all played their hearts out. I'm excited to see what's next for them."

Next up for the women's tennis team is participation in the EMU Fall Invitational scheduled for September 20 in Ypsilanti, Michigan.