{"id":906804,"date":"2026-09-27T00:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T00:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/906804\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T00:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T00:42:14","slug":"tennis-opens-2026-27-season-with-emu-hidden-duals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/906804\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis Opens 2026-27 Season with EMU Hidden Duals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Full Results<\/a>\u00a0| Photos<\/a> | Highlights<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) \u2013 The Eastern Michigan University women’s tennis team opened the 2026-27 season hosting the EMU Hidden Duals, a two-day fall event played on the outdoor courts at The Chippewa Club Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25-26, against the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University and Ferris State University.\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nThe event served as the official debut for head coach Jeff Westmeyer<\/a>, who is joined by assistant coach Casey Smith<\/a> and graduate assistant Elina Ivanova<\/a> \u2014 all three in their first year with the program. With six returners and two transfers from the University of Findlay in Maria Batinic<\/a> (Rochester Hills, Mich.\/Online School\/Findlay) and Valentina Salek<\/a> (San Juan de Morros, Venezuela\/UE de Talento Deportivo\/Findlay), the Eagles used the two-day format to build chemistry and identify areas for growth heading into official competition.\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nHow It Happened\u00a0

\nDay 1 \u2014 Friday, Sept. 25\u00a0

\nEastern Michigan opened singles play against\u00a0Toledoand won a pair of matches over the Rockets. Salek provided the brightest moment of the round, rallying from a lopsided second set to claim a 10-6 match tiebreak win over Anastasia Akuginova (6-4, 1-6, 1-0). Matilde Parreira<\/a> (Leiria, Portugal\/Escola Secund\u00e1ria Afonso Lopes Vieria) added the other\u00a0victory\u00a0with a clean 6-4, 6-4 victory over Isabella Barretto.\u00a0

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\nThe Eagles shifted to doubles against Bowling Green and found their footing, winning two of three matches. Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a> (Mar de Ajo, Argentina\/SEADEA) and Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (Voronezh, Russia\/Gymnasium 2) set the tone with a commanding 6-2 victory over Qianyu Liu and McKenzie Shelton, while Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> (Indore, India\/Daly College Indore) and Parreira added a 6-4 win over Richardlyn Francois and Lucia Gaio.

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\nDay 1 closed with singles against Ferris State, where EMU posted a 4-3 edge \u2014 its best singles showing of the event. Kharadkar delivered a dominant 6-4, 6-0 performance over Yara Madi and Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (Odesa, Ukraine\/Tennisquick Los Cristianos) rolled past Kalyna Nichita 6-1, 6-2. Parreira continued her efficient form with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Elliot Nolan, and Iva Daneva<\/a> (Kavadarci, North Macedonia\/DSU Sportska Akademija) closed the round with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Aimee Reynoso Cupido.\u00a0

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\nDay 2 \u2014 Saturday, Sept. 26\u00a0

\nToled returned for the doubles round on Day 2 and swept all four matches, each by a 6-4 margin or via tiebreak, representing the most difficult stretch of the weekend for Eastern. The Eagles regrouped against Ferris State in doubles, winning three of four. Salek and Tolstova opened with a 6-4 win over Madeline Peisley and Ainzley Zulueta, Diaz Zayas and Saenko added a 6-3 victory over Yara Madi and Aimee Reynoso Cupido, and Batinic and Kharadkar closed the round with a 6-3 win over Katherine Earnest and Elliot Nolan.\u00a0

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\nThe event concluded with singles against Bowling Green, where EMU won four of six matches. Batinic delivered one of the weekend’s more memorable performances, claiming the first set in a 7-2 tiebreak over Kiera Taylor before closing out the match, 6-2, in the second. Salek added a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over McKenzie Shelton, Diaz Zayas took down Lucia Gaio 6-3, 6-2, and Saenko closed the day with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Konstantina Adamopoulou.\u00a0

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\nMatch Notes\u00a0

\n\u00bb The 2026-27 season marks Eastern Michigan’s 50th varsity campaign in women’s tennis. The program enters the year with a 555-479 all-time record.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Valentina Salek<\/a> led Eastern Michigan with two singles victories across the event, including a gritty three-set comeback win over Toledo’s Anastasia Akuginova that required a 10-6 match tiebreak. She also claimed a doubles win alongside Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> against Ferris State.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Matilde Parreira<\/a> posted two straight-set singles victories \u2014 over UT’s Isabella Barretto (6-4, 6-4) and FSU’s Elliot Nolan (6-4, 6-2) \u2014 dropping only eight combined games across those two wins. She also contributed a doubles win with Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> over Bowling Green.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a> and Kseniia Saenko<\/a> paced EMU in doubles with two victories together \u2014 6-2 over Bowling Green and 6-3 over Ferris State. Saenko also won her singles match against Bowling Green’s Konstantina Adamopoulou (6-3, 6-2).\u00a0

\n\u00bb Maria Batinic<\/a> claimed one of the event’s more dramatic wins, taking the first set in a 7-2 tiebreak over Bowling Green’s Kiera Taylor before rolling in the second (6-2). She also teamed with Iva Daneva<\/a> for a doubles win against Ferris State.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Iva Daneva<\/a> bounced back from a tough singles loss to win emphatically over Ferris State’s Aimee Reynoso Cupido, 6-0, 6-4, including a first-set bagel.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Sabrina Tolstova<\/a>\u00a0posted\u00a0one of EMU’s most dominant singles performances of the event, defeating Ferris State’s Kalyna Nichita 6-1, 6-2.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Eastern Michigan went 4-3 in singles and 3-1 in doubles against Ferris State \u2014 its best performance against any opponent across the two-day event.\u00a0

\n\u00bb Four singles matches across the event went to a match tiebreak. Eastern Michigan won one of those four \u2014 Valentina Salek<\/a>‘s 10-6 tiebreak over the University of Toledo’s Anastasia Akuginova.\u00a0

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\nUp Next\u00a0

\nEastern Michigan heads to East Lansing, Mich., for the Michigan State Classic, Oct. 2-4, 2026.\u00a0

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\nFollow Us\u00a0

\nStay up to date with EMU tennis by following the team on its social media channels. The team can be found on Instagram (@emu_tennis), X (@EMUEaglesTennis), and Facebook (EMUTennis).\u00a0

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\nEMU Hidden Duals \u2014 Box Score\u00a0

\nDay 1 \u2014 Singles Round 1 vs. Toledo

\n#1: JJ Scholten (UT) def. Maria Batinic<\/a> (EM), 6-4, 6-4\u00a0

\n#2: Valentina Salek<\/a> (EM) def. Anastasia Akuginova (UT), 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-6)\u00a0

\n#3: Gaby Rondon (UT) def. Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> (EM), 6-4, 6-1\u00a0

\n#4: Annika Munson (UT) def. Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a> (EM), 6-3, 6-7(3), 1-0 (10-6)\u00a0

\n#5: Jone Ibanez (UT) def. Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (EM), 6-3, 6-2\u00a0

\n#6: Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM) def. Isabella Barretto (UT), 6-4, 6-4\u00a0

\n#7: June Vigneron (UT) def. Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM), 6-4, 6-2\u00a0

\n#8: Iva Jankovic (UT) def. Iva Daneva<\/a> (EM), 6-3, 6-2\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nDay 1 \u2014 Doubles Round 1 vs. Bowling Green

\n#1: Libby Blair\/Kiera Taylor (BG) def. Valentina Salek<\/a>\/Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (EM), 7-5\u00a0

\n#2: Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a>\/Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM) def. Qianyu Liu\/McKenzie Shelton (BG), 6-2\u00a0

\n#3: Pehal Kharadkar<\/a>\/Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM) def. Richardlyn Francois\/Lucia Gaio (BG), 6-4\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nDay 1 \u2014 Singles Round 2 vs. Ferris State

\n#1: Madeline Peisley (FS) def. Valentina Salek<\/a> (EM), 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-4)\u00a0

\n#2: Ainzley Zulueta (FS) def. Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a> (EM), 6-2, 7-6(4)\u00a0

\n#3: Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> (EM) def. Yara Madi (FS), 6-4, 6-0\u00a0

\n#4: Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (EM) def. Kalyna Nichita (FS), 6-1, 6-2\u00a0

\n#5: Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM) def. Elliot Nolan (FS), 6-4, 6-2\u00a0

\n#6: Ayva Johnstone (FS) def. Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM), 6-2, 6-3\u00a0

\n#7: Iva Daneva<\/a> (EM) def. Aimee Reynoso Cupido (FS), 6-0, 6-4\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nDay 2 \u2014 Doubles Round 2 vs. Toledo\u00a0

\n#1: Anastasia Akuginova\/Gaby Rondon (UT) def. Valentina Salek<\/a>\/Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (EM), 6-4\u00a0

\n#2: Jone Ibanez\/June Vigneron (UT) def. Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a>\/Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM), 6-4\u00a0

\n#3: Iva Jankovic\/JJ Scholten (UT) def. Pehal Kharadkar<\/a>\/Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM), 6-4\u00a0

\n#4: Isabella Barretto\/Annika Munson (UT) def. Maria Batinic<\/a>\/Iva Daneva<\/a> (EM), 7-6(4)\u00a0

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\nDay 2 \u2014 Doubles Round 3 vs. Ferris State

\n#1: Valentina Salek<\/a>\/Sabrina Tolstova<\/a> (EM) def. Madeline Peisley\/Ainzley Zulueta (FS), 6-4\u00a0

\n#2: Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a>\/Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM) def. Yara Madi\/Aimee Reynoso Cupido (FS), 6-3\u00a0

\n#3: Ayva Johnstone\/Kalyna Nichita (FS) def. Iva Daneva<\/a>\/Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM), 7-6(5)\u00a0

\n#4: Maria Batinic<\/a>\/Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> (EM) def. Katherine Earnest\/Elliot Nolan (FS), 6-3\u00a0

\n\u00a0

\nDay 2 \u2014 Singles Round 3 vs. Bowling Green

\n#1: Maria Batinic<\/a> (EM) def. Kiera Taylor (BG), 7-6(2), 6-2\u00a0

\n#2: Valentina Salek<\/a> (EM) def. McKenzie Shelton (BG), 6-4, 6-3\u00a0

\n#3: Libby Blair (BG) def. Matilde Parreira<\/a> (EM), 6-4, 6-4\u00a0

\n#4: Qianyu Liu (BG) def. Pehal Kharadkar<\/a> (EM), 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7)\u00a0

\n#5: Lara Diaz Zayas<\/a> (EM) def. Lucia Gaio (BG), 6-3, 6-2\u00a0

\n#6: Kseniia Saenko<\/a> (EM) def. Konstantina Adamopoulou (BG), 6-3, 6-2\u00a0<\/p>\n

For results in matches not involving Eastern Michigan players, click here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Full Results\u00a0| Photos | Highlights\u00a0 YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) \u2013 The Eastern Michigan University women’s tennis team opened the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":906805,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-906804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/906805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}