@MizzouTennis’ Ismail and Santos Earn Berth in 2017 NCAA Doubles Tournament
5/2/2017 2:58:00 PM | Tennis
It is the first Mizzou duo to make the NCAA Doubles Tournament field since 2003
COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Tennis' top doubles duo, junior Amina Ismail (Maineville, Ohio) and senior Bea Machado Santos (Lisbon, Portugal), earned a berth in the 2017 NCAA Doubles Tournament, as announced by the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Subcommittee on Wednesday.
Santos and Ismail were one of 23 pairings to receive an at-large selection and one of 14 total duos from the talented Southeastern Conference. Santos and Ismail are just the second Tiger twosome to clinch a spot in the NCAA Doubles Tournament in program history and the first since Urska Juric and Katka Sevcikova in 2003.
Santos and Ismail are looking to become the first Mizzou pairing to reach the NCAA Doubles Tournament quarterfinals in program history. Juric and Sevcikova advanced to the second round of the 2003 tournament with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Marshall's duo before being eliminated the following day.
The first round of the NCAA Doubles Tournament is set to begin May 24 in Athens, Ga., and is hosted by the University of Georgia. Santos and Ismail's opponent will be determined when the draws are finalized at a later date.
Santos and Ismail finished the regular season ranked No. 13 in the nation in the latest ITA National Doubles Rankings, their highest ranking during the 2016-17 campaign thus far. The twosome posted a 12-5 overall record together this season, knocking off seven pairings currently ranked in the nation's Top 65, including Kentucky's sixth-ranked duo.
Santos and Ismail have just three losses since Jan. 30, winning six of their final seven matches down the stretch. From March 19 to April 14, the duo went 6-0, with all six victories coming against ranked pairings. Ismail boasts a team-best .655 doubles winning percentage while Santos owns a team-high 21 doubles wins this season.
Santos was also picked as an alternate for the NCAA Singles Tournament, listed eighth among individuals in the group. If entrants who clinched a berth opt to withdraw from the field, substitutes from the pool of alternates will be selected in order.
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