Repeating their success of 2018, Stanford women’s tennis traveled to Orlando for the final rounds of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Tournament and claimed their 20th NCAA championship title with a 4-0 shutout victory over No. 1 Georgia (28-1, 13-0 SEC) on Sunday. Singles victories from senior No. 66 Caroline Lampl, senior No. 29 Melissa Lord and sophomore Janice Shin were key in helping the Cardinal coast to its 160th postseason victory since 1982.

Cardinal action in Orlando kicked off on Friday with a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over No. 6 Pepperdine (24-4, 9-0 WCC). The No. 19 doubles duo of seniors Lampl and Kimberly Yee fell to Pepperdine doubles pair Jessica Failla and Anastasia Imachkine (6-1) while No. 29 Emily Arbuthnott/Michaela Gordon were defeated by No. 86 Daria Kuczer/Ashley Lahey (6-4) to hand the Waves the doubles point.

Trailing 1-0 was no problem for the Cardinal, however, and the Stanford women took charge with aggressive singles performances. Shin tied things up at 1-1 with a quick win over Kuczer (6-1, 6-1) and Stanford junior Emma Higuchi continued the trend with a defeat of Imachkine at the No. 6 spot (6-2, 6-0). Lord then added a point of her own to Stanford’s side of the fight to bring the score to 3-2 after taking down Adrijana Lekaj (6-1, 6-3).

Putting an end to the Waves’ chance at an upset victory, No. 44 Emily Arbuthnott claimed her 28th career clincher with a win over Dzina Milovanovic (6-1, 6-4), pushing the score to 4-1 and the Cardinal to the Final Four.

On Saturday, Stanford women’s tennis took on No. 2 North Carolina in a semifinal match, defeating the Tar Heels 5-2 to claim its 22nd straight victory. Opting not to repeat Friday’s doubles performance, Stanford secured and early 1-0 lead, with doubles victories coming from Stanford pairs Lord/Shin and Lampl/Yee over UNC’s Sara Daavettila/Alle Sanford and No. 2 Jessie Aney/Alexa Graham, respectively.

Following their dominance in doubles, the Cardinal acquired two quick, though noteworthy singles victories from Lord at the No. 2 spot and freshman Sara Choy at No. 6. Lord’s defeat of No. 7 Graham (6-1, 6-3) was her 100th career singles win, while Choy’s triumph over Sanford (7-5, 6-1) was her postseason debut, not to mention only her third career season dual match, with the most recent one before Saturday played at USC on March 30.

Unfortunately for the Cardinal, UNC then produced two victories of their own thanks to impressive performances by No. 20 Daavettila and No. 46 Cameron Morra at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, respectively, where they fought past Lampl (1-6, 7-5, 6-2) and Arbuthnott (6-3, 6-4) to shrink the gap to 3-2. Hope was not lost, however, as the Cardinal picked up two more wins in a rare double clinch from No. 24 Gordon and Shin to claim a 5-2 victory over the Tar Heels.

Gordon, at the No.1 spot, and Shin, at the No. 5 spot were serving match point simultaneously, leading officials to rule that a final score of 5-2 should be awarded since both points were in progress. The Cardinal’s conquest of the Tar Heels secured the women’s team a spot in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship on Sunday against No. 1 Georgia — Stanford’s fourth-straight finals appearance.

Against Georgia, Stanford came out eager to avenge the loss delivered to them by the Bulldogs in February — the Cardinal’s sole loss among their past 49 matches. The Cardinal once again shot to a 1-0 lead after Gordon/Arbuthnott and Lord/Shin earned doubles victories over Bulldogs pairs Elena Christofi/Vivian Wolff and Marta Gonzalez/Meg Kowalski, respectively.

Though the tight 7-5 and 6-3 doubles battles set the stage for equally close singles matchups, Stanford fought with fury to secure victories at the No. 2, No. 3., and No. 5 spots. Lord earned her 101st singles victory with the Cardinal with her triumph over doubles opponent No. 19 Marta Gonzalez (6-2, 6-4). Lampl took on Georgia’s No. 69 Lourdes Carles, also ascending to victory after two sets (6-2, 6-4).

With 3-0 on the scoreboard and the title within sight, Shin battled her way to Stanford’s third two-set victory of the day, defeating Elena Christofi (6-2, 6-4) and earning her second clincher of the weekend while helping the Cardinal once again claim the title of “National Champions.”

Sunday’s title was the 10th for women’s tennis coach and Peter and Helen Bing Director of Women’s Tennis Lele Forood. The back-to-back championships of 2018 and 2019 are the first time Stanford has had repeat national championships since a three-peat in 2004-2006, though this weekend’s performance was Stanford’s fourth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Claiming their second consecutive NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship was simply the latest triumph for the 2018-19 Stanford women’s tennis team (28-1, 10-0 Pac-12) in a season full of individual and team accomplishments.

For seniors No. 25 Melissa Lord, No. 61 Caroline Lampl and unranked Kimberly Yee and Elizabeth Yao, the 2019 season was the third time in their four years of Cardinal play that the season concluded with Stanford boasting the title of “National Champions,” with the other two coming in 2016 and 2018.

After beginning the season in January with three wins against unranked Saint Mary’s (14-8, 3-1 WCC), No. 36 Washington State (19-11, 3-7 Pac-12) and No. 33 Princeton (19-5, 7-0 Ivy League), Stanford secured a place at the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, previewing the success in store for the Cardinal this season. However, the promising 3-0 run was cut short at the indoor tournament when No. 1 Stanford fell to No. 2 Georgia (28-2, 13-0 SEC) in a close 4-3 battle that also ended the team’s historic 25-match winning streak.

Bouncing back from its only defeat of the season was no problem for the Cardinal as the the team fought its way to 14 straight wins, completing the regular season with a 19-1 record.

The postseason kicked off on April 25 with a 4-0 shutout victory over Washington State at the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, California. From there, the one-seed Cardinal went on to secure wins over four-seed No. 16 USC (20-8, 7-3 Pac-12) and two-seed No. 7 UCLA (21-8, 8-2 Pac-12) to claim the program’s fourth consecutive conference title. Though the Cardinal were unable to secure the double’s point in the title match against the Bruins, strong singles performances from Lord, Lampl, No. 24 Michaela Gordon and No. 46 Emily Arbuthnott helped carry the team to victory.

Opening the NCAA Championships and its 38th straight postseason appearance, then No. 3 Stanford took down unranked New Mexico State (15-10, 3-2 WAC) at Taube Family Tennis Stadium on May 4. Freshman Niluka Madurawe made her postseason debut in style, clinching the match at the No. 6 spot with triumph over New Mexico’s Chloe Gavino (6-2, 6-2) to send the Cardinal to a second-round match against No. 31 Syracuse (14-13, 5-9 ACC). Unable to match Stanford’s momentum, Syracuse ultimately fell to the defending NCAA champions (4-1).

After earning the right to host No. 14 Kansas (21-5, 7-2 Big-12) in the third round of NCAA Championships play at Taube Family Tennis Stadium for the final home match of the season, the Cardinal managed to survive a tight 4-3 contest and punch its ticket to Orlando, where the final rounds of the tournament were held. Once in Florida, Stanford picked up a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Pepperdine (24-4, 9-0 WCC) and a 5-2 win over the formidable No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (33-2, 14-0 ACC) en route to the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship, where the Cardinal was able to avenge its defeat earlier in the season by Georgia in a 4-0 decision.

Against North Carolina, Melissa Lord acquired her 100th career singles victory thanks to an upset victory over No. 7 Alexa Graham (6-1, 6-3). Lord was one of four Cardinal players — the other three being Gordon, Lampl and Arbuthnott — awarded All-Pac-12 honors. Gordon was also named the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year in addition to her selection on the All-Pac-12 First Team. Demonstrating its strength off the court, the Cardinal had six players selected to the Pac-12 All-Academic Teams, with Arbuthnott — an economics major — earning a spot on the All-Academic First Team with a 4.14 grade point average.

The team’s performance this season is just another display of the program’s continued success. Stanford women’s tennis remains the university’s most decorated program with a remarkable 20 national championships.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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After closing out the 2018-19 season with a 4-0 shutout victory over No.1 Georgia, Stanford claimed its second consecutive NCAA championship title and is now days away from kicking off the 2019-20 season with back-to-back tournaments this weekend.

Beginning Thursday in Malibu, members of the women’s team will represent the Cardinal at the Women’s Collegiate Classic; closer to home, other Stanford players will take the court at the Saint Mary’s Invitational, hosted Friday through Sunday in Moraga, CA. 

Despite losing five seniors, including standout captains Caroline Lampl ’19 and Melissa Lord ’19, the Cardinal have seven returning players ready to show off their talents. Stanford welcomes two freshmen, Angelica Blake and Nicole Mossmer, to the Farm. Emily Arbuthnott, now a senior, was a key player for the Cardinal last year, clinching several crucial victories; Arbuthnott’s 28th career clincher came with the defeat of Pepperdine’s Dzina Milovanovic (6-1, 6-4) and pushed Stanford to a 4-1 victory and a Final Four berth.

Also gearing up for another successful season is junior Michaela Gordon, who ended the 2018-19 season as Stanford’s highest-ranked player, ending at No. 10 in collegiate women’s singles nationwide. Earning the accolade Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, Gordon boasted a 13-9 record against nationally ranked opponents and an impressive 13-2 record against Pac-12 foes. A dangerous doubles duo, Arbuthnott and Gordon repeatedly asserted their dominance on their way to a 22-8 overall record last season.

While the Women’s Collegiate Classic is new to Stanford’s schedule this year, the Saint Mary’s Invitational has been a showcase for the Cardinal’s talent for years. Last year, the tournament featured the collegiate debuts of now sophomores Niluka Madurawe and Sara Choy, with Madurawe competing in the Singles A Division before pairing up with Choy in the Doubles A Division. Madurawe left no room for fans to doubt her abilities when she debuted, fighting through five matches to claim the singles title.

This weekend also marks the beginning of head coach Lele Forood’s 20th season with the Cardinal. Under Forood, Stanford women’s tennis has been the most decorated program in all of women’s collegiate tennis.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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After opening their season with the Women’s Collegiate Classic in Malibu and the Saint Mary’s Invitational in Moraga, Stanford women’s tennis aims to repeat its 2018 success with a strong showing this Friday at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. This year’s contest marks the 13th straight season the tournament has been played at Stanford.

At last year’s competition, the Cardinal claimed both the singles and doubles titles, with then-sophomore Michaela Gordon defeating teammate Caroline Lampl (6-4, 6-7, 6-2) in a unique Cardinal vs. Cardinal championship to take home the singles trophy. Senior-freshman pair Kimberly Yee and Niluka Madurawe dominated the doubles bracket, edging past Cal’s Anna Bright and Jasie Dunk to secure the doubles crown. 

Though the 2019-2020 Cardinal team lost five seniors from last year’s NCAA Championship team, Stanford’s roster still features several accomplished players. Gordon, currently No. 6 in singles, is the highest-ranked Stanford player, though senior Emily Arbuthnott has earned her own impressive position at No. 30. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, the Women’s Collegiate Classic proved difficult nonetheless, as Stanford’s hope for the singles title was cut short in the quarterfinals by Pepperdine’s Jessica Failla’s 6-2, 6-3 victory over Gordon.

At the Saint Mary’s Invitational, success was found more easily, as freshman Angelica Blake made the most of her collegiate debut, taking down Pacific’s Kiara Kosan (4-6, 6-2, 6-2) in the singles title match. Also competing for the Cardinal was sophomore Sara Choy, who managed to secure three singles victories of her own before withdrawing in the semifinals due to injury. With classmate Madurawe, Choy is set to kick off ITA Northwest Regional action for the Cardinal in the Main Doubles Draw against Jane Ellis and Ann-Cathrin Hummel of Fresno State.

In addition to Stanford, the ITA Northwest Regional Championships features 15 NCAA schools, including Pac-12 foes California and Oregon. Following doubles play, Main Draw Singles matches are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. PT on Friday.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Led by junior Michaela Gordon and the doubles duo of senior Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Angelica Blake, Stanford’s women’s tennis soared to its second consecutive sweep of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, claiming both the singles and doubles titles Tuesday afternoon. For the 13th year in a row, Taube Family Tennis Stadium hosted the event, which began on Friday. 

For Gordon, the championship was hardly unfamiliar, as her defeat of Saint Mary’s Maria Kozyreva (6-1, 7-5) was her third consecutive ITA Northwest Regional singles title. At last year’s tournament, Gordon edged past teammate Caroline Lampl (6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2) in a unique all-Cardinal final. 

As if taking home the trophy wasn’t impressive enough, Gordon completed her championship run without dropping a single set. Her narrowest victory was a 6-4, 7-5 defeat of Cal’s Valentina Ivanov in the semifinals. Before her match against Ivanov, none of Gordon’s opponents had managed to secure more than three games in any set against her.

Arbuthnott and Blake were also quick to make a statement with their performances in doubles play, soaring to easy victories each round. Their 8-3 victory over Washington’s Zoey Weil and Nica Zupancic was their first time competing together, though it certainly seemed meant to be as they coasted through to the title match, where they took down Sedona Gallagher and Katarina Kopcalic (6-4, 6-2), also of Washington. 

Both Arbuthnott and Blake also found some success in singles play, with Arbuthnott fighting her way to the Main Draw Round of 16 before falling to the tournament’s soon-to-be runner-up, Maria Kozyreva (6-3, 7-5). Blake, who captured the singles title during her collegiate debut at the Saint Mary’s Invitational earlier this month, picked up Friday victories against Oregon’s Allison Mulville (6-0, 6-1) and Pang Jittakoat (6-3, 6-2) of Washington State before withdrawing from a third-round match on Saturday due to illness.  

However, the repeat sweep was simply the icing on the cake for a Cardinal team that saw strong performances all around. Junior Janice Shin acquired four victories of her own before a narrow defeat in the quarterfinals by Kopcalic of Washington. On the doubles side, the first Cardinal victory of the tournament came from the duo of senior Sara Choy and sophomore Niluka Madurawe through an easy win against Fresno State’s Jane Ellis and Cathryn Ann-Hummel.

As the fall season draws to a close, Stanford’s final tests will be the San Diego State Fall Classic and the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach. After earning their titles this past weekend, Gordon and Arbuthnott/Blake have secured their place in the latter tournament, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 7. Action at the San Diego State Fall Classic kicks off the following day. 

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford tennis’ run in the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships ended quickly last weekend, with the Cardinal’s four representatives all falling in the first or second rounds. Stanford qualified seven players last season, but this year the team lacks the depth it’s had in years past. 

The Oracle ITA National Fall Championships features 128 of the nation’s top collegiate singles players and 64 doubles teams; it is also the only event in collegiate tennis featuring competitors from all five divisions playing in the same tournament. To qualify, a player must have reached the quarterfinals of the Oracle ITA Masters, the round of 16 of the All-American Championships or the quarterfinals of an ITA Regional Championship.

Junior Michaela Gordon qualified in singles after winning the title at 2019 ITA Women’s Northwest Regional Championships, a tournament she has won in each of her three seasons at Stanford; she won the title as a freshman in her debut for the Cardinal. Junior Janice Shin also qualified in the same September tournament, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Washington’s Katarina Kopcalic (5-7, 6-4, 6-1). Stanford’s women’s team also qualified one doubles team: the senior/freshman combo of Emily Arbuthnott/Angelica Blake, who took the title at the Northwest Regionals, defeating Kopcalic and teammate Sedonna Gallagher (6-4, 6-2). 

Stanford’s men’s team only had one qualifier this year: Sangeet Sridhar, who put on a career showing at the ITA Men’s Northwest Regional Championships. The sophomore earned four straight two-set victories, storming all the way to the semifinals of the tournament, taking down 2019 First-Team Singles West Coast Conference honoree and Gonzaga senior Sam Feit in the quarterfinals. He fell in the semis to tournament No. 1 seed and 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Yuta Kikuchi, who posted a 20-16 singles record last season for the Cal Golden Bears. 

Gordon and Sridhar were the only two to make it out of the first round for the Cardinal on day one of the tournament last Wednesday; No. 6 Gordon defeated Northern Arizona’s No. 71 Chiara Tomasetti (6-4, 6-3) and No. 80 Sridhar took down Michigan’s unranked Ondrej Styler (6-3, 6-4). Both would fall in three-set battles the next day, though; Gordon was upset by unranked Cal freshman Haley Giavara (6-3, 3-6, 7-5) and Sridhar fell to the Saint Mary’s Gaels’ top singles player, senior Damon Kesaris (6-2, 4-6, 6-1). 

After falling in the first round, Shin ground all the way to the quarterfinals of the consolation draw, taking down Oklahoma’s No. 82 Martina Cappuro (1-6, 7-5, 7-5) and Colorado’s No. 65 Sara Nayar (7-6(3), 6-3) before falling to Georgia’s No. 37 Vivian Wolff (6-3, 6-1).

The event closes out Stanford tennis’ fall competition season. Both the men’s and women’s teams will return to in-season play next January.

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Stanford tennis falls fast at ITA Championships appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

Stanford tennis went undefeated in four games at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend this past Saturday and Sunday at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The women’s team swept both of its weekend opponents, South Florida (USF) on Saturday and Washington State on Sunday, while the men’s team defeated Tulane 4-1 on Saturday and rival Cal 4-0 on Sunday. 

Ranked No. 1 in the country entering the season, the Stanford women’s tennis team hosted USF, Denver and Washington State this past weekend. 

Senior Sara Choy provided the first clincher of her career to earn the Cardinal its first win of the season in a 4-0 shutout of the USF Bulls on Saturday afternoon; Choy defeated Lucia Garrigues-Melendez (6-0, 6-2) in singles after earning an earlier win over Clark/Tiron (6-2) alongside doubles partner and fellow senior Emma Higuchi. 

Senior Emily Arbuthnott sealed the deal on Sunday against Wazzu, taking down Hikaru Sato (6-4, 6-2). A win in doubles from No. 33 Arbuthnott/Blake as well as singles wins from Choy and freshman Angelica Blake also contributed to the final 4-0 score. Blake’s commanding win over Savanna Ly-Nguyen (6-1, 6-1) was the first of her collegiate career.

Stanford women’s tennis has now won 64 of its last 67 matches at Taube Tennis Stadium; the weekend sweep also qualifies them for next month’s ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago. At the tournament last season, the team saw their historic 25-match winning streak snapped in the semifinals with a narrow 4-3 loss to then-No. 5 Georgia. 

The No. 11 Stanford men’s tennis team also started the season off strong, sweeping UC Davis on Jan. 10 at Taube. Freshman Neel Rajesh teamed up with junior Axel Geller in doubles to earn his first collegiate win with a takedown of Goulak/Thamma (6-2); he also defeated Andrei Volgin (6-2, 6-3) in singles.

No. 18 sophomore Alexandre Rotsaert also contributed two wins; one came in singles over David Goulak (6-3, 6-1), and the other in doubles alongside sophomore Tomas Kopczynski over Landa/Volgin (6-3). 

The Cardinal carried momentum into this past weekend with a victory against Tulane; Rajesh provided the clincher — the first of his career — with a win over Tim Ruetzel (6-4, 6-4). The Cardinal’s sole loss came by an upset of the team’s top-ranked singles player, Rotsaert, who fell to No. 90 Hamish Stewart (2-6, 2-6). The sophomore bounced back in doubles, however; he and Kopczynski handily defeated Erlenbusch/Ruetzel (6-2). 

The loss would be the sole match dropped by Stanford tennis all weekend; the men’s team capped off Sunday afternoon with a 4-0 takedown of the Cal Golden Bears. Rajesh provided the clincher for the second game in a row, taking down Ben Draper (4-6, 6-1, 7-5) and putting a bow on the most eventful weekend of his young career. 

The weekend sweep also secures the men’s team’s spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will be held from Feb. 13-17 in Madison, Wisconsin. 

The women’s team will return to action at home against Hawaii on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. before heading to Chicago; the men’s team will remain at home for their next four matches over the next two weekends before heading to Madison.

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

The post Stanford tennis sweeps ITA Kick-Off Weekend at home appeared first on The Stanford Daily.

No. 11 men’s tennis (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12) suffered its first loss of the season on Friday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Center, falling 1-6 to the No. 3 USC Trojans (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12). The match was Stanford’s first speed bump in a slate of road games lasting until Feb. 13, when the Cardinal will head to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.

Freshman Neel Rajesh and junior Axel Geller teamed up in doubles for the team’s only point on the day, defeating Cuckierman/R. Smith (6-4), bringing the early score to 1-1. Cuckierman, the nation’s top-ranked collegiate singles player, bounced back to take down Stanford’s top-ranked singles player, No. 18 Alexandre Rotsaert, in a tightly contested three-set match (6-0, 5-7, 6-3). The match kicked off a five-match winning streak for the Trojans, who cleaned up the Cardinal for the remainder of the game.

The Cardinal bounced back on Saturday afternoon, however, defeating No. 10 UCLA (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12) by 4-2 at home. After dropping the doubles point, Stanford surged in singles, highlighted by Geller’s upset of No. 7 Keegan Smith (5-7, 6-2, 6-2); the win clinched victory for the Cardinal.

The men’s team returns to action on Friday against Grand Canyon University.

The No. 1 women’s team (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) tacked onto its winning streak with a victory over Hawaii 6-1 last Thursday at home. Sophomore Niluka Madurawe earned her first dual match win of the season, taking down Madison Kim (6-1, 6-1); senior Sara Choy provided the clincher with a victory over Michelle Pits (6-3, 6-1).

The women’s team heads to Chicago on Friday for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, a weekend tournament that will wrap up on Monday afternoon. The Cardinal enters as the one seed.

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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After wins over strong opponents in the first two rounds of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago this past weekend, the No. 1 Stanford women’s tennis team fell hard in a 0-4 loss to No. 4 UCLA on Sunday. Stanford entered the tournament as the top seed and with 10 wins in the event’s history, though the Cardinal haven’t won since 2011. They were upset last year by Georgia, who would go on to win the 2019 tournament in a 4-3 decision over North Carolina.

The Cardinal started off the weekend in the opening round of the championships on Friday afternoon with a narrow victory over No. 10 Michigan, their highest-ranked opponent yet this season. After capturing the doubles point with wins by No. 25 Arbuthnott/Blake and No. 49 Choy/Higuchi, No. 6 Michaela Gordon dropped the first singles match, falling hard to No. 35 Giulia Pairone (6-0, 6-1). With the score tied up at 1-1, freshman Angelica Blake and senior Emily Arbuthnott grabbed back-to-back victories before Michigan responded with two of its own, tying it back up at 3-3. 

The day then fell on the shoulders of senior Emma Higuchi. After dropping the first set, she rallied back to clinch the 4-3 victory for the Cardinal in a three-set win over Anca Craciun (4-6, 6-2, 6-4).

The team continued on to play No. 22 Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals; the Yellow Jackets had beaten No. 12 Ohio State 4-1 the day before. Choy/Higuchi and Gordon/Shin captured the doubles point to push the Cardinal to a 1-0 lead; seniors Sara Choy and Higuchi then grabbed back-to-back singles wins before Gordon dropped the team’s only match of the day to No. 60 Kenya Jones (0-6, 6-1, 6-2). 

Arbuthnottt provided the clincher with a straight-set victory over Georgia Tech’s top singles player in No. 49 Victoria Flores (7-5, 6-3), pushing the Cardinal to the next round with a 4-1 win.

The Bruins would prove to be too much for the Cardinal in the semifinals, however; Sunday saw the team’s first shutout loss since Feb. 3, 2018. Boasting the nation’s No. 2 doubles team in Bolton/Hart as well as three players ranked in the top sixteen nationally in singles, UCLA’s depth led the Bruins to a commanding win; they earned all three of their points in singles with straight-set wins, and both of their doubles victories were commanding 6-1 blowouts.

With a tough and teachable loss in the books, the Cardinal return home to Taube Family Tennis Stadium on Friday for a 3 p.m. match against UC Davis. 

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford men’s and women’s tennis earned wins this week at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The No. 13 men’s team completed a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over No. 5 Ohio State on Wednesday, and the team snapped a four-game losing streak. After falling to No. 1 USC, No. 12 TCU and No. 4 Texas twice over the past three weeks, the Stanford men bounced back with a strong performance all around at home. 

After dropping the doubles point and losing the day’s first two singles matches, the Cardinal men initially fell behind 1-3. Freshman Filip Kolasinski started the comeback charge, defeating Robert Cash (6-4, 7-5). Junior Timothy Sah then earned a straight-set win over Justin Boulais (7-6[5], 6-3) to tie it up 3-3. Freshman Neel Rajesh clinched the win with a victory over No. 78 James Trotter (6-2, 3-6, 6-3), completing the upset.

The women’s team continued their recent streak of dominance with a shutout win over Saint Mary’s on Tuesday afternoon, bringing their active winning streak to four games. The team has dropped only one game all season, but has posted five shutouts on the year thus far.

Senior Emily Arbuthnott earned her 100th career singles win, highlighting the Cardinal’s dominant performance. The economics major defeated Jordan Harris in straight sets (6-1, 6-2), bringing her career record to 100-25 overall. 

After No. 43 Choy/Higuchi earned the day’s first doubles victory, the No. 19 Arbuthnottt/Blake duo narrowly defeated McIntyre/Kozyreva (7-6[6]) to earn the doubles point for Stanford. Senior Emma Higuchi provided the clincher for Stanford, handily taking down Danielle McIntyre (6-1, 6-2). 

The women’s team returns to home conference play on Friday against No. 37 USC before hosting No. 3 UCLA on Saturday. Meanwhile, the men’s team heads to La Jolla, CA for the Pacific Coast Doubles tournament. 

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Both Stanford women’s and men’s tennis were off to strong starts before this season’s untimely end due to COVID-19; the women’s team held a 10-2 record, and the men’s team was 8-5. Though play was abbreviated, four Cardinal shone enough to be recognized for their performances with ITA Northwest Regional Awards on Monday. 

Senior Emily Arbuthnott is one of the most accomplished players in program history with a 101-26 career record in singles. A two-time NCAA team champion and three-time Pac-12 team champion, Arbuthnott clinched 30 matches during her time with the Cardinal while also dominating in the classroom. An economics major sporting a 4.16 GPA, Arbuthnott was also a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection. She was recognized as ITA Most Improved Senior and will advance to the national ITA awards ballot along with fellow senior Emma Higuchi.

Higuchi received the region’s Cissie Leary Sportsmanship Award, given to a Division I women’s player who, according to the ITA Tennis website, “displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis.” The award’s namesake is women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary, whose 20-year coaching career at the University of Pennsylvania was highlighted by a five-year undefeated streak from 1981 to 1985.

Also a two-time NCAA team champion, three-time Pac-12 team champion and two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, Higuchi finished her career with a 94-18 overall singles record and a 65-9 record in dual matches. 

Two talented underclassmen on the men’s team were also recognized at the ceremony: Freshman Neel Rajesh was named ITA Northwest Regional Rookie of the Year, and sophomore Alexandre Rotsaert took home ITA Northwest Regional Player to Watch honors. 

Rajesh had a strong showing in his first season on the Farm and ended the season ranked No. 14 nationally in doubles alongside junior Axel Geller, who won the ITA Northwest Regional Rookie of the Year award back in 2018 and the ITA Northwest Regional Player to Watch award last season. Rajesh posted a 14-9 singles record and a 16-8 doubles record and looks to be a mainstay in the starting lineup for years to come. 

Rotsaert finished the year ranked No. 7 in singles and was ranked as high as No. 5; he went 13-7 in singles play and 10-10 in doubles along sophomore Tomas Kopczynski. Rotsaert also led the team in wins over ranked opponents with eight, and he advanced to the semifinals of the ITA All-American Championships and the finals of the Sherwood Cup. 

Arbuthnott, Higuchi, Rajesh and Rotsaert will all be eligible for awards next week at the ITA national awards ceremony.

Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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A blustery day on the Farm might interrupt your plans to hike the Dish, but the weather didn’t stop women’s tennis (1-0) from picking up exactly where it left off last season. With every member on the team returning and the addtion of two new freshmen, the team dominated Santa Clara (1-2) in a 7-0 rout at Taube Tennis Center on Friday. 

The team handily won the doubles portion of the match. Junior Sara Choy and senior Janice Shin crushed their set without dropping a single game. Senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe also finished strong, winning their set 6-2. The pair was able to consistently swat Santa Clara’s returns into the front court, forcing the Broncos to concede the point.

The team’s two freshmen, India Houghton and Ana Geller, struggled to find their rhythm early and split the first six games 3-3. As their teammates finished their sets and went on to cheer the freshmen, the pair rallied to close out the set 6-3.

From there, Stanford continued to string together victories. Geller demonstrated her versatility in her singles debut, returning volleys from all over the court and defeating Santa Clara’s Katherine Petty 6-1, 6-2. 

Fifth-year Emma Higuchi showed her poise and experience. She beat Santa Clara’s Jamie Schroer with a 6-0, 6-2 score. Higuchi’s win featured long rallies and showcased her ability to neutralize whatever Schroer managed to throw at her. 

Choy was the only player to drop a set to the Broncos. After winning the first set against Finley Kalinic 6-3, Choy dropped the following set 2-6. With the rest of the team cheering her on, the junior managed to win several methodical points to take the tiebreak set 10-6 and secure the shutout for Stanford.

The Cardinal were ranked fourth on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) preseason poll in January, but fell out of the rankings due to the delayed start to the season. They’ll continue the quest to regain their ranking on Tuesday afternoon against UC Davis.

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Stanford women’s tennis (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) continues to dominate after handing UC Davis (2-3, 0-2 Big West) a 7-0 shutout on the Farm on Tuesday.

Like with its match against Santa Clara on Friday, the team started out by sweeping the doubles super set. Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Ana Geller made quick work of their opponents, winning their set 6-1. Junior Sara Choy and senior Janice Shin finished second with a 6-3 score, and the duo of senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe followed close behind, winning 6-4.

In the singles portion of the match, Gordon dominated in the No. 1 spot, winning in straight sets without dropping a single game. Geller and Choy also both won their singles matches with a 6-0, 6-2 score. Shin was the last player to finish despite a similarly dominant 6-2, 6-1 result. Madurawe also put up a first set shutout in her singles match, but won her second set with a closer 7-5 score.

Arbuthnott was the only Cardinal to lose a singles set. After winning the first set against the Aggies’ Yana Gurevich 6-2, she suffered a 3-6 defeat but came back to win the tiebreaker set 10-5.

The team travels to Salt Lake City to face Utah (5-2) on Friday.

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Stanford women’s tennis (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) won its third straight shutout victory, defeating Utah (6-3, 0-1 Pac-12) 7-0 on Friday. The team has yet to see a player lose a match this season, despite several close calls, including one on Friday.

Freshman Ana Geller and fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott dominated their opponents 6-1 in the first set of doubles play. Senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe won their set 7-5 and senior Janice Shin and junior Sara Choy edged out their opponent 7-6 to close out the doubles sweep and give Stanford the 1-0 head start.

Arbuthnott finished first in the singles portion of the match, winning with a quick 6-0, 6-1 score. Choy finished second with the same score. Gordon and fifth-year Emma Higuchi followed in quick succession, giving Stanford the 5-0 lead. This left Shin and Geller to battle it out against their opponents. Shin finished first, showcasing her consistency in long rallies defeating her opponent 6-2 in the first set and 6-3 in the second. 

Geller barely lost the first set 7-6 and struggled to keep up with her opponent, Utah’s Emily Dush, who had her running from sideline to sideline in the second set. Dush jumped out to an early 3-0 lead but Geller rallied back, winning the next five games. Geller was able to keep control of the rallies and Dush became the one running across the court, struggling to keep up. Geller closed out the second set 6-4, while winning 76% of service points in the set.

In the tiebreak set, Geller and Dush played each other close, splitting the first nine points to an even 5-4. In the sets tenth point, Dush hit a clutch shot over her shoulder while chasing down the ball and evened it out 5-5. That flash of brilliance wasn’t enough to save the Utes from a shutout, as Geller went on to win the tiebreaker 10-8.

The team will stay in the mountains for the weekend, facing Colorado (6-2, 0-0 Pac-12) on Sunday.

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No. 28 Stanford women’s tennis (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) took care of business on Sunday, defeating Colorado (7-3, 1-1 Pac-12) in a 7-0 shutout. 

Senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe fell in their doubles set 6-1. It was the first doubles loss the team has suffered all season, but strong performances from the other pairs clinched the super-set point for the Cardinal.

Even Gordon and Madurawe didn’t let the loss stop them: Both players won their singles match in straight sets, and Madurawe didn’t drop a single game. Gordon on the other hand, needed a tiebreak game in the second set to close out her singles match 6-2, 7-6.

Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Ana Geller, who defeated their doubles opponent 6-0, also defeated their singles opponents in straight sets. Geller finished quickest out of all Cardinal players with a 6-1, 6-0 victory while Arbuthnott won her match 6-3, 6-3.

The final doubles pair — senior Janice Shin and junior Sara Choy — took a 6-1 set victory. While Shin made quick work of her singles opponent in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat, Choy needed a third set to defeat Colorado’s Maria Campos with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. 

The team will next welcome Pacific (1-4, 0-0 WCC) to the farm for a Tuesday morning matchup.

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In four matches, No. 24 Stanford women’s tennis (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) has recorded four shutout victories. The next challenge for the Cardinal comes Thursday afternoon, when Saint Mary’s (2-2, 0-0 WCC) visits the Farm. 

Stanford opened its season against Santa Clara on Feb. 26 𑁋 a month later than the team would normally begin its spring season. The nontraditional start date was prompted by Santa Clara County COVID-19 guidelines that prohibited most collegiate sports from being played within the county; when the guidelines were adjusted in late January, it gave women’s tennis the green light to begin training for its first competition in over 350 days. 

The Cardinal defeated the Broncos 7-0 and fought its way to identical outcomes against UC Davis, Utah and Colorado. Senior Michaela Gordon has made it clear from the beginning that her No. 10 ranking is well-deserved; she has dominated in doubles play alongside court partner junior Niluka Madurawe, going 3-0 to open the year before falling to Colorado’s Sara Nayar and Fleur Eggink. 

Gordon has helped Stanford stay perfect in singles play by cruising to easy victories over opponents. She coasted past Santa Clara’s JennaMarie Gordon 6-1, 6-0 before going 6-0, 6-0 over UC Davis’ Sara Tsukamoto. Gordon continued the trend with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Utah’s Lindsay Hung, but ran into trouble against Colorado’s Nayar and narrowly earned a singles victory in three sets. 

Following the Cardinal’s bout with Colorado, Stanford is 24-0 in singles play. Aside from Gordon, No. 68 fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott, No. 114 senior Janice Shin, junior Sara Choy and freshman Ana Geller are 4-0 individually. 

Stanford will need to utilize its momentum against the Gaels, who enter Thursday’s matinée on a two-game win streak. No. 17 Mariia Kozyreva has been operating in the No. 1 singles spot for Saint Mary’s, making it likely that fans will see a top-20 singles showdown with Gordon leading the Cardinal. 

The Cardinal and the Gaels head into the matchup after five and six-day breaks in competition, respectively. Stanford was slated to face Pacific on Tuesday, but rain concerns resulted in the match being scratched from the schedule. 

Stanford versus Saint Mary’s action gets underway at 2 p.m. PT on Thursday.

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The season of shutouts for No. 24 women’s tennis (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) is no more as fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott lost the team’s first match of the season in a 6-1 win over St. Mary’s (2-3, 0-0 WCC).

Stanford’s go-to No. 1 player, senior Michaela Gordon, sat for the singles portion of the match, bumping everyone on the roster up one spot. Everyone on the Cardinal seemed up to the challenge, except for Arbuthnott, who replaced Gordon at the top of the lineup. Arbuthnott struggled to keep up with the Gaels’ Mariia Kozyreva and fell in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. Kozyreva started the season ranked 17th in the nation while Arbuthnott was ranked 63rd.

Arbuthnott and her doubles partner, freshman Ana Geller, made quick work of their doubles set 6-3 to start what was otherwise a strong performance for the team on Thursday. 

The Gaels duo of Jocelyn Massey and Aubane Ville were a little too much for senior Janice Shin and junior Sara Choy to handle. The Cardinal pair struggled as Massey and Ville both played close to the net. Choy and Shin lost their doubles set 7-5, but a win from Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe clinched the doubles point for the Cardinal.

Shin would return the favor in her singles match against Massey, winning in straight sets with a 6-4, 6-1 score at the No. 4 spot. Choy won her singles match too, while playing great defensive tennis, though it took the junior longer to secure victory in the second set.

Rounding out the Cardinal performance were victories from Madurawe, Geller and fifth-year Emma Higuchi, who all won in straight sets.

The Cardinal will stay on the Farm for the rest of the quarter. They host Arizona State (7-3, 1-0 Pac-12) on March 19. 

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No. 26 women’s tennis (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) grinded out a 4-1 win against No. 25 Arizona State (9-4, 3-1 Pac-12) in the team’s first real test of the season. 

Arizona State started the doubles portion with a level of aggression the Cardinal had yet to see in a match in 2021. Senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe responded with strong play of their own. The first point of the eighth game captured this perfectly. 

Leading four games to three, the Cardinal went toe-to-toe in a long rally with the Sun Devils, as both teams forced the other off-balance. Gordon chased down and returned two shots over her left shoulder, but it wasn’t enough to win the point. That long point wasn’t enough to put together a set victory for Arizona State, however, as Madurawe and Gordon then promptly closed out the set with a 6-3 score.

Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and freshman Ana Geller finished a few minutes later, winning their set 6-4. Clinching the point from the super-set cut fifth-year Emma Higuchi’s and junior Sara Choy’s match short, though the pair was two points away from winning their own set 6-3. Nevertheless, the Cardinal started singles play with the 1-0 advantage.

Gordon, ranked tenth nationally, continued on the back foot against Arizona State’s Ilze Hattingh, who occupies the 37th spot on the national rankings. Gordon saw herself down 15-40 in eight of the first set’s ten games. She fell in the first set 6-4, but managed to grind out a 6-4 victory to force a third tiebreak set. 

Next to Gordon on the courts at Taube Family Tennis Center, both Arbuthnott and Geller won their matches in straight sets, and put the Cardinal one point away from securing the match.

That point came from Higuchi, who started out hot, winning her first set 6-0, but her opponent came roaring back to the tune of 6-1 in the second set. Higuchi once again found her footing and closed out the third set and the match for the Cardinal, but not before her doubles partner Choy fell in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 to give Arizona State their only point of the day.

Higuchi’s win cut Gordon’s and Shin’s match short, but the two will join the rest of the team in action again tomorrow against Arizona (9-7, 0-4 Pac-12) on the Farm.

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Fifth-year Emma Higuchi logged her 100th singles victory in a 5-2 win for Stanford women’s tennis (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) over Arizona (9-7, 0-4 Pac-12) on Saturday.

Higuchi paired up with junior Sara Choy to win a 6-2 doubles set. A 6-4 set win from fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake clinched the super-set and put Stanford on the board first.

Higuchi went on to fill the Cardinal’s No. 6 spot in the singles portion. She logged her first collegiate singles victory at the St. Mary’s invitation in October of 2016, defeating Cal’s Alexis Nelson in straight sets. She crossed the century mark exactly 1,626 days later in another straight sets win, this time over Arizona’s Khim Iglupas.

Higuchi played nearly flawlessly in her win on Saturday, refusing to take an aggressive swing until she could guarantee it would end the point. Her play forced Iglupas to take risks to win points, but the Arizona sophomore couldn’t hang on as Higuchi took the win, 6-2, 6-1.

The victory for the fifth-year from Los Angeles combined with a win from Choy put the Cardinal up 3-0. Blake, in her first singles appearance of the season, would provide the clincher. 

Blake filled the Cardinal’s No. 3 singles spot for freshman Ana Geller, who sat out the match. She started by attacking the left side of Arizona’s Talya Zandberg, who struggled with her backhand. Once the Arizona senior started landing returns, Blake went to attack the other side. The sophomore would have started to run away with the match, but her returns frequently landed just outside the baseline to keep Zandberg competitive in the first set. As Blake started to limit her mistakes, she closed out the match and earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

The top of the Cardinal roster didn’t fare as well. Senior Michaela Gordon and Arbuthnott both fell in the No. 1 and No. 2. slots, respectively. Senior Janice Shin rounded out the list of results for the team, edging out a 6-0, 2-6, 6-3 win.

The Cardinal will hope to continue its undefeated season against UC Santa Barbara (1-2, 1-0 Big West) on Wednesday.

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The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released new rankings on Wednesday that peg Stanford women’s tennis (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) as the No. 35 best team in the country. But the computer-generated standings don’t tell the whole story. Stanford is one of two undefeated teams on the rankings, the other being top-ranked North Carolina (17-0, 7-0 ACC). Furthermore, the rankings place Arizona State (10-5, 3-1 Pac-12) above the Cardinal despite Stanford’s victory over the Sun Devils on Friday.

A more accurate representation of the Cardinal’s place in the national landscape would be the United States Tennis Association rankings, which place the Cardinal No. 10, second in the conference to No. 4 UCLA. 

The ITA also ranked freshman Ana Geller as the country’s 103rd best singles player with her 6-0 match record this season. Geller was the only Cardinal on the singles or doubles rankings, but she wasn’t needed in Wednesday’s 7-0 win against UC Santa Barbara (1-2, 1-0 Big West).

Geller was replaced by sophomore Angelica Blake, who paired up with fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott to take the first double’s set of the day 6-2. The two were followed several minutes later by senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe, who won their set 7-5. 

Blake went on to fill in for Geller on the third court and win her singles match in straight sets, along with three of her teammates: Gordon, Arbuthnott and fifth-year Emma Higuchi. 

Madurawe won her first set 6-3 and was ahead 4-3 in the second set before her opponent retired, leaving senior Janice Shin the last Cardinal to earn a victory. Shin won her first set 6-3, but fell 0-6 in the second, before winning the tiebreaker, and securing the sweep for the team. 

The team will look to continue to climb the rankings as it hosts the 47th and 49th ranked teams, Washington State (10-6, 2-2 Pac-12) and Washington (9-4, 1-3 Pac-12) respectively, this weekend.

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Taube Family Tennis Center was busy on Friday as men’s tennis (2-2, 0-0 Pac-12) hosted No. 5 TCU (10-5, 0-0 Big 12) while No. 35 women’s tennis (9-0, 5-0 Pac-12) hosted No. 47 Washington State (10-6, 2-2 Pac-12).

The women’s team continued its undefeated season by beating the Cougars 6-1, but the men’s side continued to struggle against ranked opponents and fell 4-1 to the Horned Frogs.

TCU jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning two of the three doubles sets, meaning the Cardinal would need to find wins in four of the six singles matches to secure the victory. After every player finished his first set, Stanford could only find three players with the advantage. 

True freshman Tristian Boyer, playing on the third court, came the closest to providing the Cardinal’s fourth opening set win. His opponent, TCU’s Sander Jong, needed all 13 games in the first set to defeat Boyer. The Cardinal freshman would’ve taken the first set himself, but he missed easy shots while playing close to the net, resulting in Boyer losing the final game and dropping the first set 7-6.

Boyer’s match was suspended in the third set as TCU picked up wins on courts one, five and six to close out the match 4-1. True freshman Arthur Fery earned the only point for his squad when his opponent retired in the second set. 

The women’s team fared better in its start against Washington State. Despite the Cougars’ attacks close to the net, senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe stood firm to win their doubles set 6-3. They were joined by a 6-2 set win from junior Sara Choy and fifth-year Emma Higuchi to give the Cardinal a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars only enjoyed an advantage in its handshake game and on court five, where senior Janice Shin lost her first set 6-7. Every other player on the women’s squad won her match in straight sets.

Despite cheers from her teammates and cheering from the synchronized swimming meet at Avery Aquatics Center next door, Shin fell in the second set to give the Cardinal their only loss in the 6-1 win.

The women’s team will be back on Saturday to face No. 49 Washington (9-5, 1-4 Pac-12) while the men’s team will take to the court on Sunday against Utah (11-7, 1-3 Pac-12).

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No. 35 Stanford women’s tennis (10-0, 6-0 Pac-12) nearly swept No. 49 Washington (9-5, 1-4 Pac-12) in a 6-1 victory at Taube on Saturday.

The team handily captured the first point from the doubles super-set, as they have in every single match this season. From there, nearly all the Cardinal clinched the match victory with three easy singles wins from freshman Ana Geller, sophomore Angelica Blake and fifth-year Emma Higuchi on courts four, three and six, respectively. On court five, junior Sara Choy also managed to pull a fourth win in straight sets, although it took her longer to do so.

At first it seemed like fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott would provide another point for the squad. She cruised to a 6-2 victory in the first set over Sarah-Maude Fortin, but the Washington freshman fought back in the second set, 6-4,  to force a tiebreaker.

As the tiebreaker dragged on it became clear that the winner of the match would be the player who made the fewest mistakes as the two traded points back and forth. While ahead 2-1, Arbuthnott double faulted and tied Fortin, but immediately redeemed herself with a service ace. Several points later, Fortin made awkward contact with the ball to send it wide. Arbuthnott soon sent a wide return of her own into the stands. Fortin would end up winning 14-12 when she sent a shot close to the net to Arbuthnott’s right side where the Cardinal fifth-year couldn’t contest. 

A similar story played out on court one where senior Michaela Gordon faced Washington’s Vanessa Wong, ranked 30th nationally, in another third set tiebreaker. Wong played Gordon close throughout the match, which included grinding out a second set win 7-6 after falling in the first set. However it was Gordon who eventually outlasted Wong, winning the tiebreaker 12-10.

Gordon and the rest of the Cardinal need to carry their momentum to Friday, when the team will take on No. 5 Pepperdine (11-2, 2-0 WCC) on the Farm in what will be the team’s hardest match of the season so far.

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For the first time this season Stanford allowed spectators to watch at Taube Tennis Center. Those fans bore witness to a heartbreak as No. 7 Pepperdine (12-2, 2-0 WCC) edged out an injured No. 25 Cardinal women’s tennis team (10-1, 6-0 Pac-12) on Friday with a final score of 4-3.

Both freshman Ana Geller and junior Sara Choy battled through cramping in their legs during their singles matches. While Geller was forced to retire while trailing in the second set, Choy kept playing. She was the last player to finish her match, and with the score tied 3-3 in the match, a win from her would have kept the Cardinal’s undefeated season alive. 

Choy traded the first two sets with Pepperdine’s Lisa Zaar, 6-4, 2-6 and took control at the start of the third set. Thanks to mistakes from Zaar, she jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third set and almost secured a third game before Zaar cleaned up her mistakes, and brought the fight to Choy.

Facing a deuce and the third set tied 2-2, Choy missed a shot beyond the baseline to let Zaar complete three unanswered game wins and take control of the lead.

In the next game, Choy and Zaar fell into a rally that lasted over 20 returns as the dozen fans waited with bated breath. The rally ended when Choy sent a return into the net and helped Zaar pull ahead 4-2. 

A trainer worked the Stanford junior’s leg during a medical timeout following the game, and as the third set continued, Choy’s cramps seemed to intensify. At one point, she collapsed on the court and was limping in between her returns.

That didn’t stop her. 

Choy went on to win four out of the next six games to tie the third set 6-6, and with each game, the audience got louder and louder. Despite the pressure and the injury, Choy still managed to build a 6-2 lead for herself in the tiebreaker, just one point away from victory. She was not running hard, she was not leaving the ground for her serve. She was just returning the ball and she was winning. 

Just when it seemed like Choy could pull off the impossible, Zaar started to fight back. She started placing the ball higher, where the 5-foot-2 Choy struggled to reach it, and scored six unanswered points to put herself, and the Waves, on top.

Senior Michaela Gordon and fifth-year Emma Higuchi aided Choy’s monumental effort in straight set victories on courts one and six. Choy and Higuchi also chipped in to secure the point from the doubles super-set but that was all the victory the Cardinal would taste on Friday afternoon as the retirement from Geller, in addition to the losses from Choy, fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake gave the Waves what they needed to return to Malibu with the win.

The Cardinal travels to Eugene to face Oregon (11-5, 4-3 Pac-12) on Sunday. According to a University spokesman, it’s “too early to know” whether Choy or Geller will be available for the contest.

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No. 25 women’s tennis (10-2, 6-1 Pac-12) stumbled on Sunday, losing 3-4 against No. 46 Oregon (12-5, 5-3 Pac-12) for the first loss in program history to the Ducks.

The doubles point was the difference. Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake fell on the second doubles court while junior Sara Choy and fifth-year Emma Higuchi lost on the third without winning a single game. Senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe were also trailing the Ducks, though their set was abandoned after Oregon clinched the 1-0 advantage.

For the first time this season, Stanford was trailing after the double’s point. Arbuthnott and Blake rebounded from their doubles loss to cruise to victories in straight sets. They were joined by senior Janice Shin, and the Cardinal, now up 3-1, was on the verge of getting back to its winning ways after falling to No. 7 Pepperdine (13-2, 2-0 WCC) on Friday.

But once again, the Cardinal came up short. Madurawe lost her singles match 5-7, 6-7 and Gordon lost hers with a 5-7, 3-6 score. This left junior Sara Choy who, as she did on Friday, fell in another close three-set loss, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6. 

Freshman Ana Geller was noticeably absent from the lineup against the Ducks. Cramping in her leg forced Geller to retire from her match on Friday, but the Cardinal will need her if it wants a good chance to defeat UCLA (13-3, 7-0 Pac-12) on the road this Friday. 

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No. 26 (ITA Coaches Poll) Stanford women’s tennis (11-3, 7-2 Pac-12) returns to the Farm after suffering a 7-0 shutout at the hands of No. 9 UCLA (15-3, 9-0 Pac-12) on Friday and beating No. 32 USC (11-8, 5-4 Pac-12) 6-1 on Saturday. 

The weekend marked significant changes in the Cardinal lineup. Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott, who normally plays in Stanford’s No. 2 spot, was bumped down and replaced by sophomore Angelica Blake, who vacated the third spot for Arbuthnott. The swap proved ineffective against UCLA as both players lost their matches against Bruin opponents. Nevertheless, Blake provided the point that would clinch the match against the Trojans, winning her court two match 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Arbuthnott was the last player on the team to finish her singles match on Saturday, grinding out a three-set victory.

Freshman India Houghton made her second collegiate appearance against the Trojans on Sunday as the No. 6 player for the Cardinal. Playing for the first time since the Cardinal’s season opener against Santa Clara, Houghton, like Arbuthnott, also posted a three set victory 3-6, 6-2, 7-5

Along with Houghton, junior Sara Choy in Stanford’s No. 4 spot and fifth-year Emma Higuchi in the fifth spot rounded out the bottom half of the Cardinal order. Choy and Higuchi both bounced back from singles losses on Friday to win both their matches on Saturday in straight sets. Choy and Higuchi also won their doubles set against the Trojans — something they failed to do against UCLA. 

The weekend’s results put the team at a comfortable third in the conference standings. A win over No. 22 Cal (14-5, 7-2 Pac-12) on Friday would put the team in command of second, but the Cardinal will have to face Hawaii (5-4, 3-2 Big West) at Taube on Tuesday before the “Big Slam”.

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No. 26 Stanford women’s tennis (12-3, 7-2 Pac-12) had no trouble in its 4-0 win over Hawai’i (5-6, 3-3 Big West) at Taube Family Tennis Stadium on Tuesday.

Senior Michaela Gordon sat out the match, but ultimately she was not needed. Fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott replaced Gordon as junior Niluka Madurawe’s doubles partner, and the two won a quick 6-4 doubles set. Arbuthnott also filled the team’s No. 1 spot in the singles lineup — a position normally occupied by Gordon — and was ahead 6-1, 4-3 before her match was abandoned when her teammates clinched the win.

That win was clinched by Madurawe on court three, junior Sara Choy on court two (Choy normally plays on court four) and fifth-year Emma Higuchi on court five. All three Cardinal won in straight sets, despite the challenge posed by playing at a higher spot in the lineup than normal.

The Cardinal now set their sights on the “Big Slam.” The Golden Bears (14-5, 7-2 Pac-12) will come to Taube for the rivalry match on Friday.

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No. 26 Stanford women’s tennis (13-3, 8-2 Pac-12) ended its regular season on a high note, defeating archrival No. 22 Cal (14-6, 7-3 Pac-12) in the Big Slam 4-3 on Friday at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Sophomore Angelica Blake continued to perform as the second player in the lineup. After overcoming some frustrations with Cal’s smashes at the net in her doubles match, Blake went on to defeat Cal’s Valentina Ivanov 6-0, 6-2. Her doubles partner, fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott, had the opposite fortune in singles play and fell in straight sets 6-0, 6-2. 

Senior Michaela Gordon, like Blake, dominated at the top of the lineup. On court one, she defeated Cal sophomore Haley Giavara in two straight 6-1 sets. Gordon was the first player to finish after Stanford clinched the doubles super set win.

With the score 3-1 in favor of the Cardinal, the attention turned to the back-half of the order, where junior Sarah Choy would provide the clincher on court five. Facing the Golden Bears’ Hannah Viller Moeller, Choy took care of business, painting the sidelines and finishing with a strong 6-2, 6-3 win.

But before Choy’s match finished, freshman Ana Geller lost on the court next door, falling to Cal’s Jada Bui, 6-4, 6-2. Fifth-year Emma Higuchi occupied the No. 6 spot in the lineup and fell in three sets.

The Cardinal now sets its sights on the conference championship in San Diego. The win puts Stanford in a comfortable second place in the Pac-12 standings behind UCLA, meaning it will be seeded directly into the quarterfinals. The hunt for its fifth-straight conference title continues on Saturday, April 24.

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The Golden Bears got their revenge. 

Cal (16-6, 7-3 Pac-12), the tournament’s third seed, stopped the second-seeded Cardinal (14-4, 8-2 Pac-12) from winning their fifth straight conference title on Sunday. The 4-1 Stanford loss reversed a 4-3 victory in the Big Slam on April 16, the last match of the regular season.

The Cardinal entered Sunday with a 4-2 victory over seventh-seeded Washington (15-8, 5-5 Pac-12) in the quarterfinals, but it wasn’t enough to stop Cal’s Anna Bright and Hannah Viller Moeller. The duo turned a 6-3 loss in its doubles set last week into a 6-2 victory over fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake. 

The loss put the Cardinal in a 1-0 hole to start singles play on Sunday. Bright toppled fifth-year Emma Higuchi on court six 7-6, 6-2, while Viller Moeller was defeated by junior Sara Choy, 6-2, 6-4. Choy’s victory would give the Cardinal their only point of the afternoon. 

The Bears’ Haley Giavara, ranked No. 62 in the country for women’s singles, upset No. 39 senior Michaela Gordon, and Jada Bui beat Stanford freshman Ana Geller.

The season isn’t over for the Cardinal. The NCAA will announce the 64 teams competing for this year’s national championship on May 3. As a top 30 team according to Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, it’s likely Stanford will get a shot at earning a third-straight national championship.

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No. 27 Stanford women’s tennis cruised to a 4-0 victory over No. 48 UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) (13-4, 8-0 Big West) in the first round of the NCAA championship in Malibu on Friday. The Cardinal showed shades of their early season success, when the team started with a 10-0 record, including a 7-0 win over the Gauchos on March 24. 

Senior Michaela Gordon clinched the match on court one with straight 6-3 sets and clinched the doubles point with junior Niluka Madurawe earlier in the afternoon. Gordon and Madurawe won their doubles set 6-3 while fifth-year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake won their’s 6-2.

Both Blake’s and Arbuthnott’s singles matches on courts two and three, respectively, were left unfinished. Instead, freshman Ana Geller and fifth-year Emma Higuchi would provide the other two points the Cardinal needed to secure victory. Geller defeated Lise Sentenac, 6-2, 6-1, while Higuchi won 12 straight games in a 6-0, 6-0 domination over UCSB’s Marta Gonzalez-Balbe.

The Cardinal will face the host Pepperdine Waves (20-3, 8-0 WCC) in the round of 32 on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. The Waves are the tournament’s No. 5 seed, and were also ranked No. 5 when they ended Stanford’s unbeaten season with a 4-3 win over the Cardinal on April 2.

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No. 28 Stanford (15-5, 8-2 Pac-12) women’s tennis saw its season come to a close Sunday afternoon in Malibu, Calif., as it fell 4-2 to No. 5 Pepperdine (29-3, 8-0 WCC).

The two schools faced off in what was a much-anticipated rematch following a thriller at Stanford earlier this season. In that matchup on April 2, Pepperdine handed the Cardinal their sole home loss of the year, a 4-3 victory that came down to a dramatic 8-6 third-set tiebreaker victory by the Waves at the No. 5 singles spot.

The Cardinal jumped out to an advantage in doubles. Despite a 4-1 deficit on court one, the pair of fifth year Emily Arbuthnott and sophomore Angelica Blake, as well as junior Sara Choy and fifth-year Emma Higuchi grabbed an early break to put themselves up 3-1 on their respective courts.

Pepperdine secured the first doubles set, as senior Michaela Gordon and junior Niluka Madurawe fell 6-3 to Pepperdine’s duo of sophomore Lisa Zaar and graduate student Ashley Lahey, the preseason No. 1 singles player in the nation.

But Stanford’s other two pairs continued to pull away, each going up 5-2 with a chance to serve out the set. Arbuthnott and Blake delivered while the other pair was broken, but Choy and Higuchi held a 5-3 lead. The lead became 5-4, and this time the Cardinal served it out winning a dramatic deciding point at 40-40 to secure the doubles point.

With the doubles point, Stanford needed a split in the six singles matches. The first sets played out that way, with Gordon and Higuchi prevailing 6-3 and 6-2, respectively, while Choy mounted a comeback to secure the set 7-6 (5).

After the tiebreaker on court five, two matches wrapped up quickly. Both were Pepperdine victories, with freshman Ana Geller losing 6-1, 7-5 on court four, and Arbuthnott falling 6-4, 6-1 on court three.  

Soon after, Higuchi sealed a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 victory on court six, tying the two teams up at 2-2. With their seasons on the line, these two squads were headed towards another nail biter.

After fighting back to take the second set, Blake dropped the third 6-3, putting Pepperdine a match away from victory.

Pepperdine got the victory, as Lahey took the last two sets from Gordon 6-4, 6-4 in a highly-contested match, sealing the deal for the Waves.

The defeat spells the end of Stanford’s season as the Cardinal fall short of a third-straight national title. Pepperdine advances to the third round and will fly to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., where the rest of the tournament will take place.

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In its 14th consecutive season hosting, Stanford women’s tennis won both singles and doubles titles in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. The Cardinal dominated the draws on all sides of the brackets — both finals at Taube Family Tennis Center on Tuesday featured only Stanford players.

Freshman Connie Ma captured the singles title before teaming up with No. 87 junior Angelica Blake for the doubles championship. Their opponents in second place were senior Niluka Madurawe and freshman Alexandra Yepifanova, who also stood against Ma in the singles final. 

In singles, Ma continued her streak of straight-set wins when she defeated Yepifanova 6-4, 6-1. Her closest match of the tournament was a 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary’s College. 

Yepifanova recorded exclusively straight-set wins before the singles final. Coming in as the fifth seed, she successfully upset the No. 1 seed Vanessa Wong of Washington 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the quarterfinals to reach Ma in the championship. 

Blake fell in the quarterfinals of the singles draw to Cal’s Jessica Alsola, who later went on to lose to Yepifanova in the semis. After winning the first set 6-1, Blake went 2-6, 0-6 in the next two to give up the match. 

On the doubles side, playing only one set to six in the first three rounds, Ma and Blake gave up just three games total. In the later pro-set matches, they won the quarterfinal match 8-6 before narrowly defeating Alsola’s Cal team 8-7 (7) in the semifinal. 

Madurawe and Yepifanova played a close quarterfinal win to upset the number four seed 8-7 (7). They then won their semifinal match 8-6 before falling to their Stanford teammates in the final. 

In total, the Cardinal entered seven players in the singles draw and four doubles teams. Beside the four championship players, the furthest player of the draw was freshman Valencia Xu in the round of 16 in the singles and doubles draws, when she partnered with senior Sara Choy. 

Stanford women’s tennis will be back in action at Taube Family Tennis Center on Nov. 5 for the Stanford Invitational, which will run through Nov. 7.

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No. 9 Stanford men’s tennis (9-2, 0-0 Pac-12) and Stanford women’s tennis (6-1, 0-0 Pac-12) played a trio of matches this weekend at the Taube Family Tennis Center. The men’s team topped Saint Mary’s (0-6, 0-0 Pac-12) 6-1, while the women upset No. 5 Texas (8-3, 0-0 Big 12) 5-2 and beat UNLV (6-1, 0-0 Mountain West) 7-0. 

Coming into the week as the No. 64 team in the country, the Cardinal women will surely catapult up the rankings in the next edition after their victory over the Longhorns. Texas, however, was the team that got off to a fast start, winning the doubles point thanks to wins on courts two and three. 

Stanford then proceeded to only drop one singles match. Senior Sara Choy was the first to pull an upset, taking a 6-2, 6-0 victory at the No. 6 court. Texas then retook the lead as sophomore India Houghton fell 3-6, 4-6 on court four to Sabina Zeynalova. Junior Angelica Blake and freshman Valencia Xu then both won in three sets to give the Cardinal a 3-2 lead, putting them one match away from the clincher. 

That fourth point would come at the No. 2 spot as freshman Alexandra Yepifanova — the No. 17 singles player in the country — pulled out a third set win 2-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 over Kylie Collins. No. 18 Connie Ma then finished off the Longhorns for the statement 5-2 upset. 

Playing again the next day against UNLV, the women handled their business against the Runnin’ Rebels. The Cardinal did not drop a single set en route to a 7-0 victory. 

After the conclusion of the women’s match, it was the men’s team’s turn to take on Saint Mary’s. Head coach Paul Goldstein made some changes to his usual lineup given Saint Mary’s early season struggles. However, the new rotation of players still performed at a high level, and the team took down the Gaels 6-1. 

Freshman Max Basing and senior Alexandre Rotsaert teamed up to win 6-2 on court two, while senior Tomas Kopczynski and fifth-year Timothy Sah won 6-4 on the top court for the doubles point. 

Following doubles, the Cardinal would win every singles match except for sophomore Alex Lee’s on court six. Lee and Kopczynski played the only two matches that went past two sets. 

Next up on the schedule for the men’s team is a trip to La Jolla, Calif. for the Pacific Coast Doubles competition that will be played Friday through Sunday. The women will stay on campus to play Oregon on Friday at 1:30 p.m. PT.

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One week after its upset run in the Pac-12 Tournament, No. 15 Stanford women’s tennis (17-5, 7-2 Pac-12) confirmed its spot in the NCAA Tournament at Monday night’s Selection Show. The Cardinal will host a mini first-and-second-round regional, marking the 22nd time in program history that the Taube Family Tennis Center has played host to NCAA women’s tournament action. 

Stanford will face Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) (15-6, 5-2 OVC) in the first round. The Redhawks are the champions of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, having upset No. 1 seed Austin Peay in the finals. The Cardinal and SEMO do not share any common opponents from the regular season, but the Redhawks lost to the two bigger-name schools they faced this spring: Kentucky (13-15, 0-13 SEC) and Missouri (7-20, 2-11 SEC). 

The other first-round matchup in the Stanford regional will take place between No. 27 UCSB (20-6, 9-0 Big West) and No. 25 Kansas (15-10, 4-5 Big XII). The Cardinal lost 4-3 to UCSB earlier in the season, so this region will be no cakewalk. The Gauchos went undefeated in the Big West, and they even knocked off Pac-12 schools USC and Washington State. Stanford and Kansas share one common opponent — Arizona State — to which the Jayhawks lost 3-4. 

Also in Stanford’s quarter of the 64-team bracket are No. 2 Oklahoma (27-2, 9-0 Big XII) and No. 7 Texas A&M (30-1, 13-0 SEC). The Cardinal women will no doubt have to be at the top of their game if they want to make it out of their section. The Aggies went undefeated in conference play, and at the ITA National Team Indoors Championships in February, they went 1-1 against Pac-12 schools. Texas A&M fell to then-No. 4 Cal 3-4 in the first round and beat then-No. 10 USC 4-1. Stanford beat USC 5-2, but lost to Cal 2-5. The Oklahoma women lost in the ITA National Indoors Final against then-No. 2 UNC. That was one of two matches the Sooners have lost all season, along with their Big XII Tournament championship bout with Texas. 

Stanford is still riding a wave of momentum after capturing the Pac-12 Tournament title last week in Ojai, Calif. Stanford won three matches in three days, defeating Oregon (15-8, 5-5 Pac-12), No. 16 UCLA (12-6, 7-1 Pac-12) and No. 20 Arizona State (16-7, 6-4 Pac-12) en route to the crown. 

In their championship matchup against the Sun Devils — a team Stanford had just lost to three weeks before — the Cardinal players showed their resilience, battling back to win the doubles point after ASU won the first doubles match on court three. Senior Sara Choy and freshman Alexandra Yepifanova battled back from being down 5-2 to win their match 7-6 (4). 

The Sun Devils made things interesting in singles play, winning two matches. It was not enough, however, as junior Angelica Blake, freshman Connie Ma and Yepifanova won on courts three, one and two, respectively, to wrap up the conference title for Stanford. 

As the team forges ahead into the rest of postseason play, Stanford certainly has the pieces to do some damage this month. The team is led by freshman duo Yepifanova and Ma. The two players were the top two recruits in the nation coming into college, and they have taken fast to the college game. Ma is 14-5 in singles this season, while Yepifanova is 19-3. 

Blake and Choy provide the experience in the starting lineup, playing in the No. 3 and No. 6 spots, respectively. Both of the upperclassmen have also found success this season; Blake is 26-6 and Choy is 20-7 on the year in singles matches. The other two spots in the lineup belong to younger players. Sophomore India Houghton typically plays at the No. 4, where she sports a 9-7 record. Freshman Valencia Xu rounds the Cardinal out with a 26-3 overall record. 

The NCAA Tournament begins this week. Stanford will take on SEMO at 1 p.m. PT at the Taube Family Tennis Center this Friday, May 6. Kansas will play UCSB on Friday at 10 a.m. PT at the same venue.

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It was a successful weekend on the national stage for Stanford’s two tennis programs, as both the men’s (19-5, 6-2 Pac-12) and the women’s (19-5, 7-2 Pac-12) teams advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. 

On the men’s side, the Cardinal traveled to Cambridge, Mass. to participate in the Harvard Regional. They took down No. 35 Mississippi State (14-13, 4-8 SEC) in the first round 4-0. Sophomore Arthur Fery and senior Alexandre Rotsaert stayed in the No. 2 slot and took down their opponents 6-4. On court three, freshman Max Basing and fifth-year Timothy Sah won 6-1. 

Singles was more of the same for Stanford. Basing was the first off the courts after securing a 6-3, 7-5 victory on court two. Next was Rotsaert, who took a 6-4, 6-2 win on court three. Finally, Sah earned the clinching point with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) triumph at the No. 5 spot. 

The first-round victory set up the Cardinal to play host No. 14 Harvard (19-5, 7-0 Ivy League) the next day. The Crimson had advanced past Monmouth (20-4, 6-0 MAAC) in the opening round. 

Stanford continued its momentum from the previous match, winning the doubles point thanks to Fery and Rotsaert, as well as Basing and Sah. 

Singles would not be nearly as smooth sailing. Rotsaert quickly handled his opponent on court four with a score of 6-2, 6-0. Then, Harvard won the next two matches to tie the score at two. Fifth-year Axel Geller lost on court two and senior Sangeet Sridhar lost on court five. The two teams then exchanged points, as Fery got one back for the Cardinal at the top spot, and Harvard’s Steven Sun defeated Sah at the bottom of the lineup. 

With the score knotted at three apiece, it all came down to a decisive third set on court three between Stanford’s Basing and Harvard’s Brian Shi. Basing had lost the first set but battled back to take the second. As a freshman playing in the biggest match of his college career thus far, Basing showed nerves of steel to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, and send the Cardinal into the Sweet 16. 

Stanford will now face No. 3 Baylor (28-3, 4-1 Big 12) this Friday, May 13 in Waco, Texas at 4 p.m. PT. The Bears defeated Abilene Christian in the first round and Texas A&M in the second round to reach this point. During the regular season, Baylor defeated four teams ranked inside the top 10. The other Sweet 16 matchup in Stanford’s section of the bracket is Florida State vs. No. 6 Tennessee. 

On the women’s side, the Cardinal hosted the regional, and the team defended its home courts, avoiding a potential upset. First up was Southeast Missouri State (15-7, 5-2 OVC).

Stanford clinched the doubles point thanks to 6-2 victories on courts one and three. In singles, senior Sara Choy was the first off the courts with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the bottom of the lineup. Freshman Alexandra Yepifanova and junior Angelica Blake also won to give the Cardinal the 4-0 sweep. 

Next up was a redemption opportunity for Stanford against UCSB (21-7, 9-0 Big West). The Cardinal narrowly lost to the Gauchos 3-4 back in March. 

The doubles point was in contention after UCSB won on court one and Stanford took court three. However, fifth-year Michaela Gordon and freshman Valencia Xu came through to snatch the point for the Cardinal. 

From there, it was all Stanford, as the Cardinal dominated singles play. Blake and Choy were the first two off the courts with 6-4, 6-3 and 7-5, 6-3 wins, respectively. The fourth and final point would come from freshman Connie Ma at the top of the lineup. Ma defeated Shakhnoza Khatamova 7-5, 6-3 to send the Cardinal into the Sweet 16. 

Stanford will now face No. 2 Oklahoma (29-2, 9-0 Big XII) on Friday at 4 p.m. PT in Norman, Okla. The Sooners took down Bryant and No. 17 Arizona State in the opening two rounds. The Cardinal will have to be wary of the Sooners, as Oklahoma beat six top 10 teams during the regular season. The other two teams in Stanford’s section of the bracket are No. 7 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. 

Both the men’s and women’s teams have a full week to recuperate and prepare for the next stage of the NCAA Tournament, but this coming weekend will be a challenge for both squads.

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Friday was a tough day on court for Stanford, as No. 18 men’s tennis (19-6, 6-2 Pac-12) and No. 15 women’s tennis (19-6, 7-2 Pac-12) were both dispatched in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

After two victories last weekend to kick off its NCAA berth, the men’s team journeyed to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 3 Baylor (29-3, 4-1 Big 12). Given the Bears’ stellar record, there were few doubts going in that Stanford would have to leave it all on the court for a spot in the Elite Eight.

The Cardinal got off to a solid start in doubles. Freshman Max Basing and fifth-year Timothy Sah won their set 6-3, while fifth-year Axel Geller and senior Tomas Kopczynski teamed up for another 6-3 on court one to clinch the doubles point.

With a 1-0 advantage in the duel, Stanford looked to carry that momentum into singles play but faced stiff opposition from Baylor. The Bears lived up to their top-three ranking as play on several of the six courts got off to a tight start.

The only Stanford player who had a relatively easy time in singles was Basing. After clinching the deciding point last week to send Stanford to the Sweet 16, he put on a masterful display in the No. 3 slot and was first off the courts with a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

But as his teammates played on, some struggled. In the top spot, No. 15 sophomore Arthur Fery could not find a way around No. 5 Adrian Boitan, and he fell in straight sets, 1-6, 2-6. Geller was next to finish on court two, and his straight-set victory gave the Cardinal a 3-1 advantage. They only needed one more match to go in their favor, and that coveted spot in the Elite Eight would be theirs.

But Baylor had other ideas. Senior Sangeet Sridhar was their next victim, falling in a second set tiebreaker on court five. Though senior Alexandre Rotsaert had found a second wind on court four, storming back to take the second set after losing the first, the third set went Baylor’s way for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win.

The duel was now tied at three apiece, and the only player who could turn things around for Stanford was Sah on court six. Baylor kept up the pressure, however, and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi defeated Sah in two closely contested sets, 7-5, 7-6 (5). The Bears’ 4-3 victory booked them a spot in the next round and ended an impressive season for Stanford and its graduating seniors.

While the season may be over for the team, it continues for Fery and Rotsaert. The pair will head to Champaign, Illinois, for the NCAA Championship, which starts on May 23. Fery will be competing in singles, and he and Rotsaert will also enter the doubles tournament.

The women’s team also made their way south, traveling to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on No. 2 Oklahoma (30-2, 9-0 Big 12). Like the men, the skill of their opponents presented both a challenge and an opportunity. If the team could overcome the Sooners, they would book a ticket to the Elite Eight.

Despite a strong start for Stanford in doubles, Oklahoma raced back, defeating the Cardinal’s third pairing of fifth-year Michaela Gordon and freshman Valencia Xu, 6-2. The Sooners then found the edge in a 7-5 victory over senior Sara Choy and freshman Alexandra Yepifanova on court two to take the doubles point.

But the Stanford squad was not to be taken lightly. The Cardinal recently won this year’s Pac-12 Championship, and it appeared that they had brought that energy to the Sooner state.

Junior Angelica Blake, however, was the first to fall in straight sets on court three. Next, Choy brought the fight on court six, dispatching Oklahoma’s Emma Staker, 7-5, 6-0.

As it turned out, Choy’s victory would be Stanford’s only one of the day. In the No. 2 slot Yepifanova was overpowered in a second set tiebreak. The Sooners’ Dana Guzman closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over sophomore India Houghton on court four, sealing the win 4-1. With the victory, Oklahoma kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Also very much alive are Stanford’s NCAA singles and doubles NCAA Tournament prospects. Later this month in Champaign, Freshman Connie Ma and Yepifanova are set to compete in singles, while Ma and Blake will look to contest for the doubles title. The trio will look to end the season on another high note, as not only did they capture the Pac-12 title, but the team’s longtime coach, Lele Forood, earned her 500th career victory earlier this year.

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This past week, Stanford women’s tennis hosted the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. The Cardinal provided the singles winner for the 11th time in 12 years, as No. 14 sophomore Alexandra Yepifanova came out victorious in the singles tournament, beating teammate No. 105 senior Angelica Blake, who will join her at the 2022 ITA National Fall Championships, starting on Nov. 2.

With eight Stanford players in the singles main draw, the Cardinal found huge success: five players made the round of 16 — more than any other school at the tournament — while all four semifinalists came from the Stanford team. Blake and No. 7 sophomore Connie Ma came into the semifinals having won every match in straight sets, but both streaks were broken: Ma lost to Yepifanova 6-3, 6-2, while Blake dropped a set during her 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win over freshman Alexis Blokhina, whose run was one of the tournament’s biggest stories.

Blokhina’s path to the semifinals included several elite opponents, including No. 50 Jessica Alsola from Cal.

“I didn’t have many expectations coming into this tournament,” Blokhina said. “I was out with a wrist injury the entire week prior and was hoping to just get a few rounds in. I’m very happy because I ended up having a good run, with some hard-fought battles.”

While Blokhina, the fifth ranked athlete in ITA’s preseason newcomer rankings, enjoys playing singles, she has a special place in her heart for doubles matches.

“I have always enjoyed doubles as it helps me develop my net game and think one step ahead,” Blokhina said. “I love the camaraderie on the court and always enjoy problem solving with my partner.”

Blokhina — in her first “home tournament,” as she put it — also reached the semifinals of the women’s doubles championships alongside Yepifanova.

“Playing with [Yepifanova] was a lot of fun,” Blokhina remarked. “She has a big game overall, and it set me up very well at the net.”

With four Stanford players in the semifinals vying for the title, competitive tempers can flare between teammates. But Blokhina doesn’t think this affects team relationships.

“Tennis is an individual sport, and you learn early on in life how to handle the pressure of playing against your friends and teammates,” she said. “With that being said, it’s never an easy task because you can’t fully express your emotions or get any coaching during the match. But, win or lose, you go on the court to do your best, and as soon as you leave, you continue being each other’s best cheerleader.”

Tuesday’s final was a tightly contested affair, with Blake and Yepifanova splitting the first two sets, each at 6-4. During the finale, however, Yepifanova was able to overpower her opponent 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, finding breaks at the right time to finish the match off and secure herself the title.

Both Blake and Yepifanova will be competing at the ITA National Fall Championships from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6 in San Diego along with winners and finalists from other regional tournaments around the country.

Before that, the pair will join their team in Moraga, Calif. for the St. Mary’s Invitational on Oct. 28.

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A week after clinching the Pac-12 regular season title, No. 7 Stanford women’s tennis (18-2, 10-0 Pac-12) took on No. 27 Cal (11-8, 7-3 Pac-12) on a sun-drenched Friday at Taube Family Tennis Center. A season ago, the Cardinal fell to the rival Golden Bears in Berkeley. This year told a different story as Stanford, supported by its largest crowd of the season, triumphed 6-1 in a closely contested encounter, featuring see-saw battles in both the doubles and singles matches. The win was the Cardinal’s 15th in a row and cemented their first perfect conference record since 2019.

The doubles set the tone for the day. On court two, graduate student Sara Choy and sophomore Alexandra Yepifanova broke serve to go ahead 4-3, ultimately winning 6-4 with Yepifanova holding serve and Choy angling a net winner. Thereafter, things tightened up. On court three, the sophomore tandem of Connie Ma and Valencia Xu fell behind early at 3-4 but forged ahead at 6-5 after some shaky Cal serving. In the end, the pair prevailed in a tiebreaker which they led throughout. With Xu serving at match point, Ma hit a sterling up-the-alley passing shot punctuating the 7-6 victory, improving the duo’s record this season to 11-2. The contest on court one was similarly close, as senior Angelica Blake and freshman Alexis Blokhina fell behind early but fought back to even the set at 5-5. They moved ahead to 6-5 with some strong service returns as the court three match ended, clinching the doubles point for the Cardinal and giving the team momentum going into the singles.

The Golden Bears struck first in singles, evening the match at 1 point each when No. 16 ranked Ma, on court two, succumbed in straight sets to a hard-hitting Cal opponent. But soon thereafter, Choy fought back from 0-30 at 5-5 in the first set to win 7-5. Then her precise ground strokes took over as she won the second set 6-1. Over on court one, No. 24 Yepifanova saved 3 set points before forcing a tiebreaker, which she won handily. Yepifanova took that momentum into the second set, winning the final four games to triumph 7-6, 6-2 — drawing the team to within 1 point of a win.

Blake appeared to be on an easy path to victory on court three after winning her first set 6-1. However, she soon found herself at a 3-5 deficit in set two before raising her game to win that set 7-5, clinching the fourth point and a Cardinal victory.

Two matches remained to be decided and both saw Cardinal comebacks. On court four, Blokhina lost the first set before steadying herself and then overpowering her opponent 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. Xu was down 1-5 in the first set before reeling off the next six games to win 7-5. In set two, her consistency and tenacity prevailed as she won 7-2 in a tiebreaker for a 7-5, 7-6 triumph.

Afterwards, Peter and Helen Bing Director of Women’s Tennis Lele Forood said both the doubles and singles matches were “really competitive” and noted the importance of playing on one’s home court, where the Cardinal women have now won 100 of the last 106 matches. She praised her team’s resilience, remarking that “everyone is going to have adversity and they are going to have to push through it.”

Coach Forood said that she very much liked the team’s form going into the Pac-12 tournament, remarking that the team’s “play over the last three to four matches has been spectacular” and “we are really good about where we’re at.”

The Cardinal will travel to Ojai, Calif. for the Pac-12 Tournament, where their first match will be held on Thursday at 12 p.m. PT.

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No. 7 Stanford women’s tennis (23-2, 10-0 Pac-12) advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament with wins over Weber State (12-9, 6-2 Big Sky) and Oklahoma State (16-8, 7-2 Big 12) on Friday and Saturday at Taube Family Tennis Center. The Cardinal improved their nation’s-best win streak to 20 and remains impregnable at home, where they have won 102 of their last 108 matches dating back to 2010.

On Friday, Stanford met little resistance from an overmatched Weber State team appearing in its first NCAA tournament since 2000. Throughout the afternoon, the Cardinal put on a display of shot-making, power, precision and doubles teamwork, showcasing what makes this group so formidable.

Stanford won the doubles point quickly. On court one, the No. 16-ranked team of senior Angelica Blake and freshman Alexis Blokhina cruised to a 6-1 win, their 16th dual-match victory of the season. Soon thereafter, on court two, sophomore Alexandra Yepifanova and freshman Emma Sun closed out their Wildcat opponents 6-1, securing the doubles point. On court three, the sophomore tandem of Connie Ma and Valencia Xu were on the cusp of a straight set victory as well when the doubles point was clinched.

The singles went similarly. Graduate student Sara Choy finished first on court six, dismantling her opponent 6-1, 6-1 and improving her record to 17-3 in dual matches this spring. Next, No. 84 Blokhina dominated with a 6-0, 6-2 win on court four. No. 29 Yepifanova on court one closed out the team victory 6-2, 6-4, rallying from being down 0-4 in the second set. On courts two, three and five, No. 18 Ma, No. 44 Blake and Xu also appeared to be headed to straight-set victories when the match ended. 

Saturday’s matches unfolded differently. No. 17 Oklahoma State gave Stanford a more rigorous test, particularly in the singles, but ultimately the Cardinal emerged victorious 4-1, a score not indicative of the match’s closeness.

The Cardinal seized an early lead in the match by winning the doubles. Ma and Xu, their teamwork on full display, won their match 6-1, their 10th straight on court three. On court two, Choy and Yepifanova broke serve to go ahead 4-3 and never relinquished the lead, winning the set 6-4 and securing the doubles point. Over on court one, Blake and Blokhina were locked in a tight battle at 4-4 when the doubles concluded.

Singles play was closely contested from the outset. Stanford and Oklahoma State each won three first sets. The Cowgirls evened the contest at 1-1 when, on court one, powerful OSU player Kristina Novak defeated Yepifanova 6-4, 7-6, with the windy conditions appearing to adversely affect Yepifanova’s serve. It was her first dropped singles match since February. 

Several minutes later, Xu controlled the baseline on court five and won her singles match 6-3, 6-4, regaining the Cardinal lead. The remaining matches all went to three sets. Blokhina employed her power game and charged back from a one-set deficit to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. With the Cardinal 1 point from victory, Ma, Blake and Choy were all engaged in close encounters. Blake, who had won the first set but dropped the second, relied on her shot variety and persistence to win 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, gaining the winning point.

In the meantime, on court two, Ma was staging her own comeback. Having fallen behind 0-4 in the first set, she won five of the next six games to tie the set at 5-5 but fell short, losing it 7-5. In the second set, she rallied to a 6-1 win and was ahead 4-3 in the third before the match was called. Choy was battling on court six, coming back to win the first set in a tiebreaker, dropping the second set and forging a 3-2 lead in the third before the match ended.

Afterwards, Blake and Xu spoke about the keys to their matches. Blake noted her opponent’s consistency and quickness and the match’s long rallies, and said her strategy centered on “staying patient, hanging in there and having to adjust and adapt… and to keep fighting.” Xu said her goal was to “play an aggressive brand of tennis” and “to stay up on the baseline as much as I could.” 

Both commented on the importance of staying focused on their own match and not getting distracted by watching the scoreboard. Blake also highlighted the team’s depth and said that “everyone’s a great player,” and that “we all have faith in each other and trust in each other, and that if someone’s not having their best day, then some of us have got it.” Xu noted the team’s excellent overall record and said that the team felt comfortable on its home court, with “friends and family in the stands and a lot to play for.”

The Cardinal will be back at Taube Family Tennis Center for the NCAA Tournament’s super regional round, hosting No. 10 Ohio State (22-7, 10-1 Big Ten) on Friday at 1 p.m. PT.

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Before cheering fans under Friday’s blue skies, No. 7 Stanford women’s tennis (24-2, 10-0 PAC 12) put on a masterful performance, soundly defeating No. 10 Ohio State (22-8, 10-1 Big 10) 4-1 in the NCAA Tournament’s Round-of-16. The Cardinal’s winning streak has reached 21 in a row.

The match was never close. Beginning with the doubles, the Cardinal made an authoritative statement that they were the better team. In fact, it took nearly 20 minutes for the Buckeyes to earn their first game, and Stanford never trailed in any set. On court two, graduate student Sara Choy and freshman Alexandra Yepifanova finished first, rolling to a 6-2 victory. A highlight of the match was Yepifanova’s powerful and well-placed serves, which opened up the court for Choy’s crisp net volleys. 

Next, on court three, the formidable team of sophomores Connie Ma and Valencia Xu won its set 6-2 with Ma hitting several nice up-the-alley passing shots and Xu steady from the baseline. The win was their 11th straight. At nearly the same time, the No. 16-ranked team of senior Angelica Blake and freshman Alexis Blokhina triumphed 6-1 on court one, out-playing their Buckeye opponents, No. 37 Irina Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff, in every phase. The Cardinal secured the doubles point in only half an hour.

In the ensuing singles matches, the Cardinal charged to an early win. No. 44 Blake, who lost only one game the entire afternoon across both singles and doubles, blanked her Buckeye opponent, 6-0, 6-0. Blake’s sharply angled shots and her uncanny ability to shift back and forth from offense to defense were on full display.

No. 29 Yepifanova followed with a dominant win over No. 30 Ratliff on court one. Yepifanova broke Ratliff’s serve early and then cruised to a 6-2 first-set victory. At 2-0 in the second, Ratliff appeared to twist an ankle. After a lengthy treatment time-out, play resumed and Yepifanova picked up where she left off, winning the second set 6-1. Throughout the match, Yepifanova answered Ratliff’s powerful groundstrokes with equal — if not greater — power and with superior consistency and shot placement, putting her opponent on the defensive. Also, Yepifanova’s serve was a potent weapon, producing several aces and service winners. 

Xu, on court five, won the clinching point. Her opponent, No. 89 Shelly Bereznyak, had not lost a singles match since February, but Xu jumped to a 4-0 lead and battled to win the first set, 7-5. Xu quickly squelched any Buckeye hopes for a close second set. Standing near the baseline, she took the ball early, dictating the point and keeping Bereznyak off-balance. In the final game, Xu was down 0-40 before reeling off the final four points, punctuating a 6-0 second-set and match win.

At the time Xu secured the clincher, Choy was up a set at 6-4, 4-5 on court six. On court three, No. 84 Blokhina, who had lost her first set 6-0, showed her fortitude by coming back from 1-4 in the second and winning it in a tiebreaker, just as the match concluded. The Buckeyes gained their only point when, on court two, No. 20 Siemers bested No. 18 Ma, 6-1, 6-4.

Afterwards, Yepifanova commented on her singles match: “I have seen Sydni play since the juniors. I know her game. She’s been in the Fall Nationals too. I saw her play there, she had a great win, but I knew that if I could focus on what I have to do — first serve percentage, getting returns in deep and just taking all the opportunities I have — I knew that the score would go my way.”

She also described what makes her and Choy such an effective doubles team, particularly on her service games: “When I am at the baseline and Sara is at the net, both of us are really confident. Sara has great hands. She loves being up there and I have a lot of trust in her as well, and also I have trust in my baseline skills to set her up. Overall, consistently hitting and not giving any loose points, that’s what Sara and I do best.”

When asked how she was able to rebound so quickly from last week’s singles loss to Oklahoma State, her first since February, Yepifanova talked about her mental preparation and the challenges presented by managing academics and athletics simultaneously.

“Against Oklahoma State I was in a different mental state. The day prior to Oklahoma State I had two midterms and the day before I had another one, so it was a hectic week coming up to Oklahoma State,” said Yepifanova. “But I really took my time before this one. I rested more. I felt more prepared mentally and it really showed in many aspects of my game, not only my serve.” 

The Cardinal now advance to Wednesday’s NCAA Quarterfinals in Orlando, Fla., where they will meet No. 2 Texas A&M (30-2, 13-0 SEC).

“They’re obviously a really good team,” Yepifanova said of the Aggies. “They’ve been playing great, [but] we’re playing out of this world. I think everyone is so confident and everyone has each other’s back, so I think it’s going to be a great match.”

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In Friday’s NCAA Semifinals in Orlando, Fla., the season came to an end for No. 7 Stanford women’s tennis (25-3, 10-0 PAC 12) as No. 3 NC State (28-4, 10-3 ACC) defeated the Cardinal 4-0.

Stanford fell behind early, losing the doubles point for the first time in 15 matches. Thereafter, the Cardinal had opportunities to grind out a victory in singles, but the Wolfpack decisively shut the door for the win.

In doubles, the Cardinal’s first pair, No. 16-ranked senior Angelica Blake and freshman Alexis Blokhina, was never in contention against the Wolfpack’s lead team of No. 4 Diana Shnaider and Alana Smith. Down 5-2, Blake and Blokhina lost their set 6-3 with Shnaider dominating her service games, a portent of what was to come. Blake and Blokhina previously had been 6-0 against ranked opponents. Next, on court two, graduate student Sara Choy and sophomore Alexandra Yepifanova engineered an impressive win over No. 9 Nell Miller and Amelia Rajecki. From 0-2 down they won the set 6-3. Choy and Yepifanova’s victory was against their highest ranked opponents this season.

Unfortunately, the Cardinal could not build on that win. On court three, Stanford’s sophomore tandem of Connie Ma and Valencia Xu, who had won 12 consecutive matches, could not dig out from an early deficit and lost 6-2 to Sophie Abrams and Abigail Rencheli, securing the doubles point for the Wolfpack.

After the singles commenced, another point soon went NC State’s way. The Cardinal’s No. 29 Yepifanova was overcome by No. 7 Shnaider 6-1, 6-0. Shnaider, who is currently No. 104 in the world tennis rankings, employed her powerful and well-placed serves and all-court game to dominate the encounter.

With the Wolfpack two points from victory, the Cardinal resistance stiffened. On court three, No. 44 Blake was involved in a back-and-forth battle against No 26 Rajecki. Blake was ahead early and served for the first set at 5-3 but could not hold. Then she fell behind 5-6 before evening the score. In the ensuing tiebreaker Blake was down 5-2 before charging back to win it 7-5. Playing in the fourth slot No. 84 Blokhina, displaying excellent court coverage, jumped out to a 3-0 lead against No. 87 Rencheli and held on to win the first set, 7-5. Xu, on court five, reeled off four straight games to take her first set 6-3. 

In the meantime, No. 18 Ma, in the second position, came back from 2-4 against No. 13 Smith to tie her first set at five before losing it 7-5. Then Ma mounted a furious comeback in her second set. Showing her grit, she stormed back from 0-5 to tie the set at five, saving four match points in the process. On court six, Choy, who had lost her first set 6-3, was ahead 3-0 in the second against the Wolfpack’s Gina Dittmann.

At this juncture, it appeared that the Cardinal had a fighting chance to pull out a victory. But it was not to be. Ma’s comeback fell short and she lost the second set 7-5, bringing the Wolfpack to within one point of a win. Soon after, Choy took her second set into a tiebreaker but was down throughout, with Dittmann winning most of the long rallies and besting Choy 6-3, 7-6, gaining the Wolfpack’s clinching point. It was the final match of Choy’s illustrious Stanford tennis career.

In the other matches, Blake was entering a third set after dropping the second 6-4. Xu lost her second set 7-5 after coming back from 2-4 and was beginning her third set when the match was called. Blokhina was ahead in her second set 5-3 and appeared headed to a straight-set victory as the contest ended.

Four Cardinal players will remain in Orlando for this week’s NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Blake will play in singles and doubles, Yepifanova and Ma will be in the singles draw and Blokhina will play in the doubles.

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