ROME, Ga. (May 9, 2025) – For Washington State seniors Hania Abouelsaad and Elyse Tse, their Cougar tennis careers could not have ended any better after WSU defeated Charlotte, 4-0, to capture the 2025 UTR Sports National Invitational Tournament championship, Friday morning at the Rome Tennis Center on the Berry College campus. The win marked the first postseason tournament title in program history as the Cougars end their 2025 season with a 20-8 record.

"I am so proud of this team. They worked hard all year on bringing their best every day, to practices, to the gym and to the classroom as well," said Head Coach Raquel Atawo. "They really played for each other and left everything they had out there. Super happy for this team and the program to end with a championship."
 
Friday's match was similar to the first two rounds as WSU dominated the 8-team field all week, winning all three matches by identical 4-0 scores. Much like its quarterfinal and semifinal matches, the Cougars captured the early momentum by winning the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 3. On Court 1, WSU's Eva Alvarez Sande and Maxine Murphy, ranked No. 61 nationally, cruised to a 6-2 win over Sara Suchankova and Amira Badawi. The doubles point was then clinched on Court 3 where Abouelsaad and Martina Puvill defeated Prisca Abbas and Lucia Aranda, 6-2, for the 1-0 lead. On Court 2, WSU's pair of Tse and Chisato Kanemaki were up a break and leading 4-2 against Ni Xi and Shona Nakano when play was stopped.
 
In singles play, Abouelsaad and Kanemaki finished within minutes of each other to give WSU a 3-0 lead. Abouelsaad jumped out quickly then cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Aranda at No. 4. Kanemaki was equally strong at No. 5, defeating Abbas 6-3, 6-0 to push the Cougars to within one win of victory.
 
The clinching match came at No. 1 where Alvarez Sande started slow before dominating Suchankova, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 to give WSU the title. Three other matches were stopped with the team outcome decided. At No. 2, Murphy was in a second-set tiebreaker against Xi, leading 7-5, 6-6. AT No. 3, Tse had split sets with Badawi, 7-6 (4), 1-6, while Puvill and Nakano were also in a second-set tiebreaker after Nakano had captured the first, 6-2.
 
WSU's 20 wins to finish the season marked only the second time in program history a team had posted 20-plus win, the first coming in 2018 when the Cougars finished the year at 21-7.
 
WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
UTR Sport National Invitational Tournament
Championship Match
#57 Washington State 4 vs. #48 Charlotte 0
May 9, 2025
Rome Tennis Center at Berry College
Rome, Ga.
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 #61 Eva Alvarez Sande/Maxine Murphy (WSU) def. Sara Suchankova/Amira Badawi (CLT) 6-2
No. 2 Elyse Tse/Chisato Kanemaki (WSU) vs. Ni Xi/Shona Nakano (CLT) 5-2 DNF
No. 3 Hania Abouelsaad/Martina Puvill (CLT) def. Prisca Abbas/Lucia Aranda (CLT) 6-2
Order of Finish: 1,3
 
SINGLES
No.1 Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. Sara Suchankova (CLT) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 Maxine Murphy (WSU) vs. Ni Xi (CLT) 7-5, 6-6 DNF
No. 3 Elyse Tse (WSU) vs. Amira Badawi (CLT) 7-6 (4), 1-6 DNF
No. 4 Hania Abouelsaad (WSU) def. Lucia Aranda (CLT) 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 Chisato Kanemaki (WSU) def. Prisca Abbas (CLT) 6-3, 6-0
No. 6 Martina Puvill (WSU) vs. Shona Nakano (CLT) 2-6, 6-6 DNF
Order of Finish: 5,4,1