There will be a new face and a familiar face in tuesday night’s final of the ITA Division I Women’s Team Indoor Championships after defending champion Georgia came from behind to beat Auburn and Ohio State earned the program its first trip to a national finals with a win over Texas A&M.
Georgia looked down and out against Auburn this afternoon in Evanston, but roared back from a 3-1 deficit to beat top seed Auburn 4-3 to return to the finals.
Georgia, the No. 2 seed, lost the doubles point and dropped five opening sets in the singles. But freshman Deniz Dilek, the only Bulldog to win a first set, shut down Angella Okutoyi on line 3 7-5, 6-1 to put her team on the board. Auburn built its lead to 3-1 with straight-sets wins from Ava Esposito on line 5 and Ashton Bowers on line 4, and the Tigers’ Ekaterina Khayrutdinova served for her match with Aysegul Mert at 6-3, 5-4 on line 2. But Mert broke back, and with Georgia’s Anastasiia Lopata on line 1 and Emma Dong on line 6 already forcing third sets, they rode it all out Mert to get through her second set. set. Mert, who had lost to Khayrutdinova in two previous meetings, trailed 3-0 in the tiebreak but won seven of the next nine points and forced a third.
The third sets of the remaining three matches were all close, 4-4 at 1, 3-3 at 2 and 4-3 at 6. But Dong got the break for a 5-3 lead at 6, after Eva Ionescu led 40-0 in the match and served out the score to make it 3-2.
Lopata led 5-4 after serve at 1 and Mert led 4-3 at 2 after seven consecutive breaks to start the third set. She got the crucial hold and had four match points in Khayrutdinova’s 3-5 service game, when Khayrutdinova’s call was overturned by the ELC after a Mert challenge, making it 0-40. But Khayrutdinova was unfazed and won the next four points with aggressive play, forcing Mert to serve out.
Mert took a 40–0 lead, made an error on her first match point, but forced an error with a big forehand to send Georgia back to the championship match against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes, the No. 5 seed, had to find four singles points after dropping the doubles point to the third-seeded Aggies, but they proved they were capable of doing so in their 4-2 quarterfinal victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina on Saturday.
Texas A&M made it 2-0, with Lucciana Perez continuing her sweep of opponents, defeating Luciana Perry 6-2, 6-1. Perry had played No. 1 in the Buckeyes’ first two games, but coach Melissa Schaub moved Teah Chavez to 1 and changed the lineup on lines 3 and 4 and lines 5 and 6. Those changes paid off, with Chavez putting Ohio State ahead with her straight-sets victory over Mia Kupres, and Audrey Spencer at 6, Hephzibah Oluwadare at 5 and Nao Nishino at 4 followed with straight-sets wins one after another. after another to complete the 4-2 victory.
Ohio State reached the ITA Team Indoor semifinals in 2016 and 2017, but this will be their first final. Georgia plays Central for its sixth Team Indoor Championship on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Cracked Racquets will report on the final on their YouTube channel.
ITA Division I Team Indoor Women’s Semi-Finals February 9, 2026
Georgia[2] D. Maroon[1] 4-3
Doubles:
1. Deniz Dilek and Aysegul Mert (UGA) d. DJ Bennett and Stefani Webb (AUB) 6-2
2. Angela Okutoyi and Ava Esposito(AUB) d. Anastasiia Lopata and Patricia Paukstyte (UGA) 6-1
3. The d. Dong and Anseasa Greeva (GA) 7-5Order of finishing: 2, 1, 3
Singles:
1. Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) d. DJ Bennett(PLEASE) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Aysegul Mert (UGA) d. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova(AUB) 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
3. Deniz Dilek (UGA) d. Angella Okutoyi (AUB) 7-5, 6-1
4. Ashton Bowers (please) d. Anastasia Gureva (UGA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Ava Esposito(AUB) d. Sofia Rojas (UGA) 6-4, 6-4
6. Emma Dong (UGA) d. 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Order of finishing: 3, 5. 4, 6, 1, 2
State of Ohio[5] D. Texas A&M[3] 4-2
Doubles:
1. Mia Kupres and Lucciana Perez (AMU) d. Hephibah Oluway and Teah Chavez (OSU) 6-3
2. Flora Johnson and Luciana Perry (OSU) vs. Violeta Martinez and Anna Perelman (TAMU) 5-4, dnf
3. Lexington Reed and Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) d. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and Audrey Spencer (OSU) 6-4
Order of finishing: 1, 3
Singles:
1. Teah Chavez (OSU) d. The 6-2, 6-4 of the 6-2
2. Lucciana Perez (TAMU) d. Luciana Perry (OSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Lexington Reed(TAMU) vs. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev(OSU) 7-5, 5-4 unf
4. Nao Nishino (OSU) d. Violeta Martínez (TAMU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Hephzibah Oluwadare (OSU) d. Daria Smetannikov (TAMU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Audrey Spencer (OSU) d. Anna Perelman (TAMU) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finishing: 2, 1, 6, 5, 4
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In addition to the titles of Michael Antonius and Janae Preston at the ITF J300 in Ecuadorwhich I covered Saturday’s messagesix other Americans won titles on the ITF Pro Circuit.
At the J60 in MexicoChase Bowden won his first title on the ITF Junior Circuit and is the first player I can remember to claim a title when entered based on his WTN rankings. Bowden, a 16-year-old from Florida, has competed in the Battle of Boca event series there, which no doubt helped build his World Tennis Number rankings. Bowden, clearly unseeded, defeated No. 2 seed Justin Riley Anson 7-5, 6-4 in an all-US final.
In the girls’ doubles final, No. 7 seeds Enya Hamilton and Autumn Xu won their second ITF junior doubles title, beating No. 2 seeds Sofia Mills and Mexico’s Maria Jose Gil Castillo 6-0, 6-3 in the final.
At the J30 in Sri LankaSwanika Roy won her second straight title this week as the top seed, after winning the week before as the No. 4 seed. The 16-year-old defeated No. 2 seed Yeon Joo Cha of Korea 6-3, 6-1 in the final.
At the J30 in KenyaSisters Bi-Neh Awantang 15 and Mbongta Awantang 16 won their first ITF Pro Circuit title in doubles; after beating the top seeds in the second round, the unseeded pair clinched the title as No. 3 seeds Kudzai and Kuzivaishe Chapepa of Zimbabwe retired 4-6, 5-3.
There’s one more J300 in South America this week in Lima, Peruwith Janae Preston as the No. 3 seed. Other American girls placed include Lani Chang[5] and Yael Saffar[6].
Michael Antonius will not make the switch from hard court to clay, with the only seeded boy No. 5 Agassi Rusher, who qualified. Navneet Raghuram, who reached the semi-finals in Ecuador last week, is also in the draw.
The best boy seed is Emilio Camacho from Ecuador, with Candela Vazquez from Argentina the best girl seed.
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