CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Anjali Kotecha's 21
st birthday was unlike those of her peers. Spending most of the day waiting through four different rain delays at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on the University of Miami campus, she finally received her present late at night in the form of a win.
Kotecha partnered with
Cecilie Maeland to post an 8-4 win over USF's Sienna Leeson and Margherita Marcon. Along with
Nora Svensson and
June Bjork's bye, that puts two FGCU doubles teams in Saturday's second round of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Southeast Regional Championships. Bjork also heads to the second round in singles after her three-set win over North Florida's May Fadida.
The doubles win for the birthday girl marked her second doubles victory of the season, but first of the year with Maeland.
Meanwhile, Bjork had to weather her own rain delays in her three-set win over Fadida, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Despite being halted mid-match at least once, Bjork claimed her fourth singles win of the year while Fadida dropped her second match of the season to an Eagle. She previously fell in straight sets at the hands of
Sabrina Jaramillo at the Bedford Cup.
Gallery: (10-9-2026) FGCU at ITA Regional Championships
Svensson dropped a tough 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 singles challenge to Miami's Raquel Gonzalez, who is ranked fourth in the region.
Maria Vargas also dropped a tough challenge to Florida's Nikola Daubnerova, forcing the Gator to three sets in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 decision.
Ashley Matz also fell in a 6-4, 6-0 final to Miami's Michaela Laki.
In other doubles action, Jaramillo and
Africa Burillo Berezak dropped an 8-3 tally to Miami's Berrak Kocak and Jaquelyn Ogunwale while Matz and Vargas fell, 8-3, to FAU's Alexia Patru and Malika Amirgalieva.
Second round (Round of 32) action begins on Saturday morning as Maeland and Kotecha face ninth-seeded Gonzalez and Dominika Podhajecha of Miami at 7:45 a.m. before Svensson and Bjork face Vanessa Vlahova and Ioana Teodora Sava of FAU at 9 a.m. Then at noon, Bjork will battle Miami's Anna Perelman in singles action.
Consolation bracket competition begins at 1:30 p.m. as Svensson faces FIU's Viktorie Hazmukova while Vargas faces Florida State's Laura Putz. Then at 3 p.m., Matz will square off against FAU's Panna Bartha.
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