UCLA
California
Women's Tennis Edges Cal in Pac-12 Opener
March 06, 2020 | Women's Tennis
BERKELEY, Calif. – The No. 2/3 UCLA women's tennis team held on to defeat California, 4-3, in its Pac-12 opener Friday afternoon at Hellman Tennis Complex.
Freshman Sasha Vagramov clinched the overall victory for a team-high sixth time this season. Junior Abi Altick and freshman Abbey Forbes also recorded singles wins for the Bruins (11-1, 1-0 in Pac-12 play), who earned the doubles point in a close winner-take-all match. Haley Giavara, Valentina Ivanov and Erin Richardson posted singles wins for the Golden Bears (2-3, 0-1).
Vagramov defeats Zeynel, 6-2, 7-6 (5), for her SIXTH clinching win of the season!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/6XqtDD9EJR
— UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) March 7, 2020
UCLA's—and the nation's—No. 1 team of Elysia Bolton and Jada Hart looked every bit the part against Giavara and Ivanov, rolling to a 6-0 victory for the day's first decision. Since suffering their first loss of the dual-match season at USC (Feb. 28), Bolton and Hart have outscored opponents by a 12-1 margin and gone 2-0.
Cal answered on Court 2, where the match stayed on serve for the first five games. Jasie Dunk and Julia Rosenqvist took over from that point on, however, securing the final four versus Forbes and junior Taylor Johnson to hand the Bruins a 6-2 loss, the Bruins' first in three results as a combination.
Tied at three games apiece on Court 3, Altick and junior Annette Goulak earned a break of serve against Anna Bright and Jessica Zeynel. The counterparts alternated breaks in the ensuing two games, as well, giving the Bruins a chance to serve for the day's first point. In a match featuring games frequently decided in deuce-point situations, Altick/Goulak won on another. A 23-shot rally was ended by Goulak, whose backhand approach at the net split the Golden Bears for a 6-4 final score.
Two weeks removed from a straight-set win against Bright on Court 4 to start singles play at Los Angeles Tennis Center, Altick did the same in Northern California. The victory, a 6-0, 6-2 decision, marked the fourth in as many tries for the defending Pac-12 Player of the Week.
Richardson answered on Court 5, cutting Cal's deficit in half with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Goulak for the Golden Bears' first win of the day.
Eighth-ranked Forbes momentarily got UCLA back on track on Court 2, where she won her team-high 10th singles match of the dual season against just one loss. The Raleigh, N.C. native beat No. 57 Rosenqvist, 7-5, 6-4, to move the Bruins one step closer to a deciding fourth point.
A top-15 matchup on the top court went the way of the Golden Bears, as No. 15 Giavara edged No. 9 Bolton in a second-set tiebreaker to cap a 6-4, 7-6(5) result.
Vagramov dropped the first three games of her second set on Court 6 and looked destined for a third set with Zeynel. Vagramov forced a tiebreaker, though, and captured the final two points to complete the 6-2, 7-6(5) clincher. She has now sealed six of the last seven UCLA wins.
No. 34 Ivanov picked up the day's final victory, a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 decision versus No. 17 Hart on Court 3.
The Bruins will return to action Saturday, when they visit Taube Family Tennis Center to take on No. 3/9 Stanford. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m., PT.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs California
3/6/2020 at Berkeley, CA
(Hellman Tennis Complex)
#3 UCLA 4, California 3
Singles competition
1. #15 Haley Giavara (CAL) def. #9 Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
2. #8 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #57 Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) 7-5, 6-4
3. #34 Valentina Ivanov (CAL) def. #17 Jada Hart (UCLA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Abi Altick (UCLA) def. Anna Bright (CAL) 6-0, 6-2
5. Erin Richardson (CAL) def. Annette Goulak (UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
6. #113 Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Jessica Zeynel (CAL) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles competition
1. #1 Elysia Bolton/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (CAL) 6-0
2. Jasie Dunk/Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) def. Abbey Forbes/Taylor Johnson (UCLA) 6-2
3. Abi Altick/Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Anna Bright/Jessica Zeynel (CAL) 6-4
Match Notes:
UCLA 11-1; National ranking #3
California 2-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,5,2,1,6,3)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
4,5,2,1,6,3
Players Mentioned
