Wang Reaches Quarters at Clay Championships

Junior women's tennis player Ivy Wang surprised the collegiate tennis world this weekend by advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Clay Court Championships in Orlando, Fla.

Wang, unseeded entering the tournament, began the Championships on Thursday, when she followed a tough three-set win over Purdue's Mary Beth Maggart, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, with an upset of the No. 10-seed, Megan Miller of Duke, 7-6, 6-2.

The victory over Miller propelled Wang to the round of 16, where she knocked off her second seeded player of the tournament, a straight set shocker over sixth-seeded Dawn Buth of Florida, 6-4, 6-2.

A more daunting challenge awaited Wang Saturday morning in the semifinal round of the tournament. Her opponent was the nation's top-ranked player, Agnes Muzamel of the University of Mississippi. Muzamel, the tournament's No. 2 seed, won the match but not without a substantial fight.

Wang actually took the first set, 4-6, but Muzamel cruised in the second, 6-2, before holding on to a 6-4 win in the third and final set. Despite the loss, Wang's performance kept wide open the eyes she pried last season when she was an NCAA singles qualifier as a sophomore.

The Clay Court Championships are the first of collegiate tennis' four Grand Slams, culminating in the NCAA Championships.