BERRY, Ga. – Emily Hafner's rise to the top of Division II women's tennis continued Thursday.
 
Hafner, an MSU Denver graduate transfer, defeated Florentia Hadjigeorgiou of Augustana (S.D.) 6-4, 6-3 in a first-round match at the prestigious ITA Cup.
 
"It was another great performance by Emily," MSU Denver coach Bruno Campos said. "She was a tough opponent, but Emily played solid tennis, didn't make many errors and her counter-attack shots were on point today. Her victory became a symbol of what can be achieved through hard work and dedication."
 
She advances to the quarterfinals of the 16-player tournament, where she'll face top-seeded Salma Djoubri of Lynn (Fla.) in a match scheduled for 11 a.m. EDT.
 
Hafner is now 10-1 against Division II opponents this fall, and 10-3 overall. She beat players seeded sixth, fourth and first while finishing as the runner-up at the ITA West Regionals last month, and now beat Hadjigeorgiou, the 2022-23 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year who was the ITA Central Regional runner-up last month.
 
"I'm super happy for Emily ,as she could potentially be ranked top eight in the nation after her win today," Campos said. "Now it's time to rest and get ready for another battle tomorrow as she is facing the No. 1 seed." 
 
Djoubri, Hafner's Friday opponent, was a 2023 All-American and was named the National Rookie of the Year by the ITA while finishing No. 11 in the final rankings.