Nov. 6, 2009

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Georgia Tech's Irina Falconi won a pair of singles matches in straight sets Friday to reach the semifinals of the 2009 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.

Falconi, who is the tournament's No. 2 seed and the highest seed remainging, opened the day by defeating Clemson's Josipa Bek, 6-2, 6-0 to set up a matchup against Washington's Venise Chan in the afternoon.

"I came into the match knowing that Josipa was going to be a tough opponent," Falconi said. "I had lost to her last year so I knew I would have to bring my `A' game. In the first set I felt I was able to neutralize points and get into offense. Anca [Dumitrescu] and I had a really good game plan. It was just a matter of executing with disciplined."

In the last meeting between Falconi and Chan, Falconi earned a hard fought 7-5, 7-6 (6) win in the semifinals of the Riveria/ITA All-American Championships.

Falconi would have no problem this time around. The Jupiter, Fla., native cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Chan to solidify her spot in the semifinals.

"I felt it was a matter of me being more disciplined this time around against Venise and staying in the point with a `whatever it takes' mentality." Falconi said "Once I found my rhythm, I was able to just continue executing my shots with confidence and precision."

Falconi will next face Baylor's Lenka Broosova, the nation's 23rd-ranked player, Saturday 1:00 p.m. Live scoring updates for all matches at the 2009 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championships will be available here.

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