Ohio State Women's Tennis Player Francesca Di Lorenzo Claims Second Straight Indoor National Title

Francesca Di Lorenzo continues to make a name for herself on the national collegiate indoor tennis circuit.

The sophomore from New Albany and Ohio State tennis player won her second straight USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship on Sunday at the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. She defeated Hayley Carter of North Carolina, 6-1, 6-1 to defend her 2015 crown. It is Di Lorenzo's third overall ITA national title.

“It feels great and I’m not going to lie, it’s a little bit of a relief,” Di Lorenzo said to the ITA after her win according to a press release. “Coming into this tournament I did feel some pressure, doing well last year. Coming here and being successful like I was last year is definitely exciting and I’m happy to be able to represent Ohio State here and do well and bring home a title for the university.”

The championships are the first in Buckeye women's tennis history according to the press release. Di Lorenzo won both ITA national titles in the fall to earn Riviera All-American honors before winning her second-straight indoor championship.

In order to do so, Di Lorenzo won seven games on no-ad points.

“I just played consistent and deep on those points, looking for opportunities when I had them and made smart choices on big points, and I think that was key,” Di Lorenzo said. “I think there were six deuces and I got all of them. The match was a lot closer than the score says it was, but I was definitely happy to pull through on those points.”

Di Lorenzo only lost one set and 11 total games in the tournament. The title slots her a wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit tournament and a place on the 2017 USTA Collegiate National Team, according to the release.

Below is video of the final point that secured Di Lorenzo's win:

Congrats to OSU's Di Lorenzo for repeating as the #NationalIndoors women's singles champion! pic.twitter.com/zLh3GY3J6E

— USTA College Tennis (@ustacollege10s) November 6, 2016

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