The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

KERRIE Cartwright and her American partner Karianna Pierre-Louis fell short in their second appearance in a doubles final in an International Tennis Federation tournament.

The duo, who came up short in France during the European tour this summer, reached the final of doubles of the Torneo Internacional Femenino Pereira 2017 in Colombia where they lost to the No.2 seeded team of Emily Appleton of Great Britain and Maria Fernanda Herazo Gonzalez of Colombia 7-5, 2-6, (10-7) on Saturday.

“Overall, I think it was a great tournament. We started off very well,” Cartwright told The Tribune. “As the tournament went on, we started to play very well. In the final, I think it came down to just one or two points here and there that made the difference in the end. It was very close. It just came down to those very little points in the end in the tie breaker.”

Cartwright, 25, said she was disappointed that they lost the match because she felt they were playing extremely well. “We were just so close,” she stated.

Before losing in the final, the unseeded team of Cartwright and Pierre-Louis won their semi-final match 6-2, 6-3 over the No.4 seeded team of twin sisters Maria Paulina Paula Andrea Perez-Garcia. They also won their quarter-final with a 6-0, 6-7 (5), (12-10) decision over Melissa Morales and Kirsten-Andrea Weedon of Guadeloupe.

Their win came after they upset the top seeded team of Mara Schmidt of the United States and Noella Zeballos of Bolivia in identical scores of 6-1, 6-1.

During the tournament, Cartwright advanced to the main draw of singles, but she got eliminated in the second round. She won her first round match with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Paula Andrea Coronado of Colombia, but was ousted by Weedon, the No.6 seed, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Cartwright won her two rounds in the qualifying round, defeating Morocco Hitt of the USA 6-2, 6-2 and another American Sara Kelly 6-2, 6-3 respectively.

Pierre-Louis, 18, also got eliminated in the second round in singles where she played directly out of the main draw. She lost to Appleton in a 6-0, 6-2 decision after she won 6-2, 6-1 over Jenny Duerst of Switzerland.

Right after completing the tournament, Cartwright and Pierre-Louis moved on to their next tournament in Cucuta, Colombia, where Cartwright had to go right on the court to play in the qualifying round yesterday. She got a bye in the first round, but qualified for the final in the second round with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Andrea Ternera of Colombia.

Cartwright won’t play until Tuesday when she takes on Vivian Mayumi Toma of Brazil, but Pierre-Louis, seeded No.8, will play her first round match in the main draw today. Cartwright and Pierre-Louis are also teaming up in doubles, but they won’t get to play their first round doubles match until Tuesday or Wednesday when they face twin sisters Maria Paulina Paula Andrea Perez-Garcia of Colombia.

“We’re going to be prepared,” Cartwright said. “After playing in two finals so far this year, we feel it’s time for us to finally win the title. I think we have a good chance to do it in this tournament because we played so well in the last tournament, only losing by a few points in the tie breaker.”