The Alabama women’s tennis season has come to an end. 

Loudmilla Bencheikh and Petra Sedlackova concluded their season in the opening round of the NCAA Singles Championships at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Urbana, Illinois.

It was the first time Alabama has sent two players to the singles draw since 2016.  

Bencheikh and Sedlackova have led the Crimson Tide in singles play all season. 

Bencheikh entered the championships opening round ranked 66th. She earned first team All-SEC honors and recorded the second most wins on the team with 15 during her sophomore campaign. She faced the 48th ranked player from NC State in the opening round. Bencheikh dropped the match 6-1, 6-2. After many drawn-out competitive games, she was unable to get over the hump.

Sedlackova opened with an early lead facing the 23rd ranked player in the country out of Stanford, but could not hold on, going down 6-3, 6-1. The match concluded a freshman season for Sedlackova that included a team-leading 25 wins, Second Team All-SEC Honors and SEC All-Freshman honors. She ended the tournament ranked 68th in the latest ITA rankings.  

“Jonatan [Berhane], Keith [Swindoll] and I are proud of Loudmilla and Petra for earning their way into the NCAA Singles Championships,” Alabama head coach Jenny Mainz said. “They both showed a lot of improvement and growth this season and gained invaluable experience today competing with the best of the best. We’re optimistic that Lou and Petra will be back on this stage next year with more maturity and poise.” 

The duo of Bencheikh and Sedlackova made it the sixth time the Crimson Tide has sent two athletes to the singles tournament. Alabama has been represented in nine of the last 12 NCAA Singles Championships.