Senior Blair Shankle won a pair of matches in straight sets on Saturday to advance to the Bush’s $50,000 Waco Showdown Wildcard final.
Shankle, who is ranked 54th in the preseason, won her first match of the day, 6-2, 6-1, over sophomore Karina Traxler in quarterfinal action. She won in straight sets again in the semifinal, defeating her opponent Abigail Chiu, 6-3, 6-0.
"I thought Blair played well enough today to win," Baylor head women’s tennis coach Joey Scrivano said. "She is making some progress in key areas. Obviously, we are early in the process and there is so much to improve. I'm happy to see her make the final and have a chance to qualify."
Shankle will face Janice Shin in the tournament championship match on Sunday at 10 a.m. (CT) at Hurd Tennis Center. The winner will qualify to compete in the Bush’s $50,000 Waco Showdown on Nov. 6-13.
Also competing for the Lady Bears, junior Theresa Van Zyl won her quarterfinal match this morning in three sets. After dropping the first set to Jessica Aragon, 6-4, Van Zyl came back with 6-1 and 6-3 results to advance. She continued her momentum in the semifinal against Shin, winning the first set 6-4, but fell in the next two, 6-2, for the loss.
Despite opening with a 6-1 win in the first set of her quarterfinal against Shin, sophomore Elizabeth Profit dropped the next two 6-3, 6-0. Freshman Jessica Hinojosa made her debut for the Lady Bears, falling to Abigail Chiu in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.
