ASU tennis senior Micaela Hein was eliminated from the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships on Wednesday night after she fell to Florida sophomore Caroline Hitimana in three sets.
Hein competed against Hitimana in the second match of the singles qualifying draw. She won her first set of the match 6-2, but fell to Hitimana in the next two sets, 7-6 and 6-1.
“I won the first set, but she really raised her game in the second and third,” Hein said. “It was a fight from there on out.”
Rain affected the tournament at the Riviera Tennis Club as Hein was scheduled to play her second match against Hitimana on Tuesday afternoon, but it was pushed to Wednesday night because of the weather.
Although Hein waited all day for her match to start, she was able to get a good practice round in beforehand.
The match started just as it got dark, and Hein was forced to play her match under the lights rather than sunlight.
It drizzled during the match, but Hein said the conditions weren’t to blame for her loss.
“It did rain a little bit while I was playing, but not enough to stop playing,” Hein said. “It didn’t affect my play that much.”
ASU assistant coach Clint Letcher accompanied Hein to the tournament held in Pacific Pasilades, Calif., while head coach Sheila McInerney remained in Tempe with the rest of the team.
Letcher felt that Hein competed well despite the weather conditions she had to play in.
“I think it’s tough for anybody to play in those conditions,” Letcher said. “It didn’t really affect the outcome, but it didn’t allow her to play her best tennis.”
Letcher was impressed with Hein’s overall performance in the match against Hitimana.
“It was a competitive match the whole way through,” Letcher said. “She still competed great.”
Hein was victorious in her first day of competition on Tuesday, when she defeated Georgia Tech junior Jillian O’Neill in two sets, 7-5 and 6-4.
Overall, Hein enjoyed her experience at the tournament.
“The whole tournament and atmosphere here is very prestigious and has a classy feel,” Hein said. “You know you’re at an important tournament when you’re here.”
Hein competed in the same tournament in 2009, but lost her first match.
“I feel like even though I lost the second round, I have improved from last year,” Hein said. “I’ve come back this year as a mature player, and I’m going to be ready to go for season.”
Reach the reporter at nklauss@asu.edu
