Mathur Wins Tennis Singles Flight at 2024 Fordham Invitational

Published: Sunday, October 6, 2024

Graduate student Riya Mathur capped off the weekend capturing the Flight I singles title as the NJIT women's tennis team competed at the 2024 Fordham Invitational.

The three day Invitational was held at the Hawthorn/Rooney Tennis Courts and featured 10 schools – Army, FDU, Hofstra, Providence, Saint John's, Stone Hill, Stony Brook, Yale, NJIT and host Fordham.

Mathur, a transfer from Mount St. Mary's, started off the Invitational with a win over Stonehill's Lia Lihtenstein, 6-0 6-2 and followed up the next day with a straight set victory over Providence's Elisa Davalos, 6-0 6-1. In the Flight I finals, Mathur cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 victory over FDU's Anais Jenkins.

Asima Sazan won the Flight G Consolation with a victory over Providence's Gabriella Plonowski, 8-5. Sazan registered a win on day two, 8-3, over Hofstra's Ava Veneziano.

From the Coach
"The Fordham Invite is a great individual event for our players," said head coach Patricia Piorkowski McDonald. "It is good competition and preparation for the women's team with Regionals approaching next week. Congrats to Rita for winning her Flight."

Day 1 Fordham Invite
Shalom Salvi/Paula Menendez(NJIT) def. Lilah Shallcross/Annelisse Beltran (Stonehill) 6-3
LauraWipfli/Irene Cocero (NJIT) def. Victoria Papadopoulou/Charlotta Buss (SJU) 6-0
Lusia Hepcal Barcan/Riya Mathur (NJIT) def. Beltran, Erika Gabrielle Beltran/Elisa Davalos (Providence) 6-2
Deniz Soyer/Sabira Mohamed (Hofstra) def. Feyza Aydin/Asima Sazan (NJIT) 6-3
Riya Mathur (NJIT) def Lia Lihtenstein (Stonehill) 6/0 6/2 
Irene Cocero (NJIT) def. Alena Kubanova (FDU) 6/4 7/6 (8)
Laura Wipfli (NJIT) def. Cooper Jackson (Army) 7/6 (4)6/3 
Feyza Aydin (NJIT) def. Mary Madigan (Hofstra) 6/3 6/3 
Shalom Salvi (NJIT) def. Leen (Kuittinen (Providence) 6/1 6/3 
Lusia Hepcal Barcan (NJIT) def. Camila Zuluaga-Rodriguez(Stonehill) 6/1 6/0 
Jenna Sable (Army) def. Paula Menendez Alvarez (NJIT) 6-2 6-7 (5) 10-7 
Ann Kato (FDU) def. Asima Sazan (NJIT) 2-6, 6-2 10-8

Day 2 Fordham Invite
Jenna Sable (Army) def. Shalom Salvi/Paula Menendez Alvarez (NJIT) 7/6 (5) 
Mila Charles/Carmen Rubio(Stony Brook) def. Lusia Hepcal Barcan/Riya Mathur (NJIT) 6-4
Flora Edison/Allison Root (providence) Def. Feyza Aydin/Asima Sazan (NJIT) 6-4
Kristi Boro (Stony Brook) def. Shalom Salvi (NJIT)stony brook 6-4 7-6 (4)
Paula Menendez Alvarez (NJIT) def. Camila Barrera Aguirre (providence) 8-5
Riya Mathur (NJIT) def Elisa Davalos (Providence) 6/0 6/1
Mila Charles (Stony Brook) def. Lusia Hepcal Barcan (NJIT) 3-6 6-1 10-3 
Julianne Nguyen (Fordham) def. Irene Cocero (NJIT) 6-3 2-6 10-7
Allison Harris (Army) def. Feyza Aydin (NJIT) 5-7 6-4 retired
Asima Sazan (NJIT) def Ava Veneziano (Hofstra) 8-3

Day 3 Fordham Invite
Flight Finals
Riya Mathur (NJIT) def. Anais Jenkins (FDU) 6-1 6-4

Consolation Flight Finals
Julie Holte (Stonehill) def. Paula Menendez Alvarez (NJIT) 8-3

Consolation Flight Finals
Asima Sazan (NJIT) def Gabriella Plonowski (Providence) 8-5

Next Up
Six Highlanders Laura Wipfli, Paula Menendez Alvarez, Arina Babkova, Irene Cocero, Shalom Salvi and Feyza Aydin will compete at the ITA Regionals hosted by UPenn from Oct. 10-15 in Philadelphia.