MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Battling some of the top competition in the nation, Navy women's tennis players Stella Ribaudo and Emily Tannenbaum both rebounded after some hard-fought losses on Friday to post victories on Saturday in the 47th Milwaukee Tennis Classic at the Western Racquet Club.
 
"I am very pleased and proud with the way Emily and Stella represented Navy this weekend," said head coach Keith Puryear. "In the six years that we've been a part of this event, this was the deepest field they've had by far."
 
Opening the event with doubles play, Ribaudo and Tannenbaum took on Grand Canyon's Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha in the first round of the main draw, but the Navy duo fell by a 6-3 score in their lone doubles match of the weekend.
 
Moving into singles action, Ribaudo battled No. 119-ranked Alina Mukhortova of Wisconsin in the opening round but dropped the contest, 6-4, 6-0, before being defeated by Virginia's Blanca Pico Navarro in consolation play, 6-1, 6-0, on Friday. Saturday proved more fruitful for Ribaudo, as the senior fell to Oklahoma's Zdena Safarova by a 6-2, 6-3 score in her first extra match but bounced back by winning via a 6-2, 6-2 score against Marquette's Emilija Kojcic to close out her time in Milwaukee.
 
For Tannenbaum, she opened the singles main draw on Friday against Rosie Garcia Gross of Wisconsin, being defeated in a tightly-contested 6-3, 6-4 match. In the consolation bracket, Tannenbaum drew Strombacha and battled in a 6-2, 6-3 loss to wrap up the first day of action. The 2023 Patriot League Player of the Year responded emphatically on Saturday, beating Vivian Miller of Brown by a 6-3, 6-2 score to begin the day and following it with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Marquette's Andie Weise.
 
"Emily had two very close losses to start, as her first opponent went on to beat the No. 2 seed in the next round, but she was able to take much from the first two matches to finish strong with a pair of wins," added Puryear. "Stella faced similar competition, playing a very tight first set against the No. 6 seed then another tight one against one of Oklahoma's players, but she also finished with a comprehensive win against Marquette's top player. In doubles, it followed a similar pattern with a tough, hard-fought decision that we lost but learned from. That doubles team went on to make it to the semifinals, and is playing to go to the final. It was a nip-and-tuck affair with a few critical points that decided the set."
 
Tannenbaum is now 4-4 in singles play all-time at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, while Ribaudo has gone 2-4 in singles action at the event over the past two seasons.
 
"Overall it was a tremendous experience for all," said Puryear. "We would like to thank the Milwaukee Tennis community for their hospitality and professionalism, along with our host family, Skip and Sibylle Tasker, and especially tournament founder Chas Mulcahy for his unwavering support."
 
Navy returns to action Sept. 29-Oct. 1 when it hosts the Navy Blue and Gold Invitational at the Brigade Sports Complex.