BERRY, Ga. – MSU Denver's Emily Hafner was defeated Friday in the quarterfinals of the ITA Cup, a gathering of the top 16 players in Division II.
 
Salma Djoubri of Lynn (Fla.), a native of France who has been ranked as high as No. 412 on the professional Women's Tennis Association circuit with just under $70,000 in career earnings according to the WTA website, defeated Hafner 6-0, 6-2.
 
"Emily lost in the second round today, but she will be able to play another match tomorrow, which is good," MSU Denver coach Bruno Campos said. "Even though the result didn't come our way, I feel like Emily was able to compete at a high level against a former WTA player.
 
"This is not the end of Emily's journey, but merely a stepping stone towards greater heights. I'm proud of Emily and looking forward to day three at the ITA Cup."

Hafner is 10-2 against Division II opponents this season.
 
For perspective on the quality of opponent Hafner faced, former world No. 1 and all-time great Venus Williams is currently ranked No. 406 by the WTA as a part-time player, and injured three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic is ranked No. 430. Djoubri was ranked No. 644 earlier this year.
 
The No. 1-seeded Djoubri, who has played in the French Open in doubles, was a 2023 All-American at Lynn and was named the National Rookie of the Year by the ITA while finishing No. 11 in the final singles rankings.
 
Hafner is scheduled to play Angelina Linnikova of North Georgia in a consolation match Saturday at 11 a.m. EDT. Linnikova was 16-2 last season.