Stanford women, Virginia men win NCAA titles

   They were seeded 15th.
   They faced the nation's top-ranked team, the NCAA defending champion and the "home" team.
   Four of their six dual matches came down to the last encounter.
   And they trailed 3-1 in the final.
   The Stanford women overcame all of it to win their 18th NCAA team title.
   Taylor Davidson won the deciding match for the third time in this year's NCAA Championships, giving the Cardinal a 4-3 victory over 12th-seeded Oklahoma State today in Tulsa, Okla.
   "My dreams just became reality," the 46th-ranked Davidson, a junior from Statesville, N.C., tweeted after vanquishing No. 44 Vladica Babic 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 on Court 2. "We are the 2016 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!! Nothing compares to this feeling. Nothing. Number 15? No. Number 1."
   About 700 fans made the one-hour drive from Stillwater, Okla., where Oklahoma State is located, to cheer on the Cowgirls (29-5).
   With Oklahoma State leading 3-1, Stanford freshmen Caroline Lampl and Melissa Lord won on Court 5 and 6, respectively, after losing the first set.

Collin Altamirano of Sacramento
has won two NCAA team titles in
his two years at Virginia. 2014
photo by Paul Bauman

   Stanford (20-5) beat Florida, ranked first but seeded second, 4-3 in the round of 16 and sixth-ranked Vanderbilt, the defending champion, 4-2 in the semifinals.
   The Cardinal leads all schools with its 18 NCAA team titles. Florida is next with six.
   The NCAA Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles Championships begin Wednesday in Tulsa.
   Men's final -- In a virtual replay of last year's final, top-ranked Virginia defeated No. 11 Oklahoma 4-1. The Cavaliers defeated the Sooners 4-2 for the 2015 title in Waco, Texas.
   Virginia (30-4) won its third NCAA team title in four years and appeared in the final for the fifth time in six years. Oklahoma (20-11) still seeks its first NCAA title after losing in the final for the past three years.
   Henrik Wiersholm, a sophomore from Kirkland, Wash., won the clinching match on Court 6.
   No. 33 Collin Altamirano, a Virginia sophomore from Sacramento, Calif., trailed No. 25 Axel Alvarez Llamas 7-5, 4-3 on Court 2 when their match was abandoned. Altamirano won at No. 3 doubles to help the Cavaliers win the doubles point.
   Oklahoma is coached by John Roddick, the older brother of former world No. 1 Andy Roddick.
   ITA awards -- Cal's Amanda Augustus was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women's Coach of the Year.
   The Bears won their first National Women's Team Indoor championship and opened the dual-match season with a school-record 19 consecutive victories.
   Ranked No. 1 for most of the season, Cal was seeded first in the NCAA Championships and reached the semifinals before falling to Oklahoma State. The Bears finished 23-2.
   Sem Verbeek, a senior on the Pacific men's team, received the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.

Women's final

No. 15 Stanford 4, No. 12 Oklahoma State 3

Doubles

   1. No. 43 Maria Alvarez and Kelsey Laurente (OSU) def. No. 5 Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle, 6-3.
   2. No. 54 Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari (OSU) def. No. 31 Melissa Lord and Carol Zhao, 5-5, suspended.
   3. No. 79 Katarina Adamovic and Vladica Babic (OSU) def. Krista Hardebeck and Caroline Lampl, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 1

Singles

   1. No. 47 Katarina Adamovic (OSU) def. No. 25 Carol Zhao, 6-4, 7-5.
   2. No. 46 Taylor Davidson (STAN) def. No. 44 Vladica Babic, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
   3. No. 66 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. No. 67 Caroline Doyle, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
   4. No. 100 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) def. Kelsey Laurente, 6-4, 6-4.
   5. Caroline Lampl (STAN) def. Katarina Stresnakova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
   6. Melissa Lord (STAN) def. Carla Tur Mari, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2.
   Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 5, 6, 2

Men's final

No. 1 Virginia 4, No. 11 Oklahoma 1

Doubles

   1. No. 4 Luca Corinteli and Ryan Shane (VA) def. No. 24 Axel Alvarez Llamas and Andrew Harris, 7-5.
   2. Alex Ghilea and Spencer Papa (OKLA) def. No. 16 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger, 7-5.
   3. J.C. Aragone and Collin Altamirano (VA) def. Andre Biro and Austin Siegel, 6-1.
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles

   1. No. 97 Andrew Harris (OKLA) def. No. 8 Ryan Shane, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
   2. No. 25 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OKLA) led No. 33 Collin Altamirano, 7-5, 4-3, unfinished.
   3. No. 9 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) def. No. 82 Spencer Papa, 6-4, 6-4.
   4. No. 78 Alexander Ritschard (VA) led No. 61 Alex Ghilea, 6-1, 1-6, 5-2, unfinished.
   5. No. 110 J.C. Aragone (VA) def. Florin Bragusi, 6-3, 6-4.
   6. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) def. Andre Biro, 6-2, 7-6 (2).
   Order of finish: 5, 3, 1, 6

Virginia, with Altamirano, earns top men's ranking

Collin Altamirano of Sacramento helped
Virginia win the NCAA team title last May
as a freshman. 2014 photo by Paul Bauman

   Defending champion Virginia, with sophomore Collin Altamirano of Sacramento, opens 2016 as the No. 1 men's collegiate team in the country.
   The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released the rankings today.
   Altamirano was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team at No. 3 singles and No. 3 doubles last spring. He finished the season 20-3 in singles and 18-4 in doubles and was selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference third team.
   Altamirano won the singles title in the 2013 USTA Boys 18 National Championships and was the runner-up in 2014. He reached the U.S. Open junior quarterfinals in 2013.
   The Stanford and Cal men are ranked 20th and 21st, respectively. The schools each placed one player in the singles top 10. The Bears' Andre Goransson, a junior from Sweden, is ranked third, and the Cardinal's Tom Fawcett, a 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) sophomore from Winnetka, Ill., is ninth.
   On the women's side, Cal is ranked sixth and Stanford eighth.
   The Bears have two women in the singles top 10: No. 5 Maegan Manasse, a junior from Redondo Beach, and No. 10 Klara Fabikova, a senior from the Czech Republic.
   Stanford's highest-ranked woman in singles is No. 20 Taylor Davidson, a junior from Statesville, N.C.
   Cal's Manasse and Denise Starr, a junior from Brooklyn, N.Y., are ranked third in doubles.
   Stars Carol Zhao, a Stanford junior from Canada, and Mackenzie McDonald, a junior on the UCLA men's team from Piedmont, are unranked because they played pro rather than college tournaments last fall. They finished last season ranked second and third in college, respectively.  
   Both McDonald ($100,000 Tiburon) and Zhao ($50,000 Toronto) advanced to the semifinals of pro tournaments in their home regions last October.

   Zhao reached the NCAA singles final last May, losing to Jamie Loeb of North Carolina. Loeb, a sophomore, then turned pro.

COLLEGE RANKINGS

(Top 10 and Northern California)

Men's team

   1. Virginia
   2. Oklahoma
   3. Texas Christian
   4. Baylor
   5. Texas A&M
   6. Illinois
   7. Georgia
   8. USC
   9. North Carolina
   10. Ohio State
   20. Stanford
   21. Cal
   55. USF
   57. UC Davis
   67. Fresno State

Men's singles

   1. Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
   2. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia
   3. Andre Goransson, Cal
   4. Cameron Norrie, Texas Christian
   5. Arthur Rinderknech, Texas A&M
   6. Christopher Eubanks, Georgia Tech
   7. Mikael Torpegaard, Ohio State
   8. Felipe Soares, Texas Tech
   9. Tom Fawcett, Stanford
   10. Hugo Di Feo, Ohio State
   30. Florian Lakat, Cal
   38. Alec Adamson, UC Davis
   39. Billy Griffith, Cal
   54. Oskar Wikberg, Cal
   57. David Wilczynski, Stanford
   61. Michael Genender, Stanford
   76. Connor Farren (Hillsborough), USC
   86. Filip Bergevi, Cal
   89. Maciek Romanowicz, Stanford
   98. Logan Staggs (Tracy), UCLA

Men's doubles

   1. Brett Clark and Robert Kelly, North Carolina
   2. Hugo Dojas and Felipe Soares, Texas Tech
   3. Gordon Watson and Diego Hidalgo, Florida
   4. Jack Findel-Hawkins and Yannick Zuern, North Florida
   5. Mac Styslinger and Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia
   6. Alex Lawson and Quentin Monaghan, Notre Dame
   7. Filip Vittek and Jordan Angus, San Diego
   8. Hayden Sabatka and Bart Van Leijsen, New Mexico
   9. Arjun Kadhe and Julian Cash, Oklahoma State
   10. Ben Wagland and Austin Smith, Georgia
   30. Mikus Losbergs and Kasparas Zemaitelis, Sacramento State
   38. Florian Lakat and Oskar Wikberg, Cal
   42. Maciek Romanowicz and Nolan Paige, Stanford
   59. Andre Goransson and Florian Lakat, Cal

Women's team

   1. Vanderbilt
   2. USC
   3. Florida
   T4. North Carolina
   T4. Georgia
   6. Cal
   7. Virginia
   8. Stanford
   9. UCLA
   10. Texas A&M
   45. Saint Mary's
   54. Fresno State
   72. San Jose State

Women's singles

   1. Joana Eidukonyte, Clemson
   2. Francesca Di Lorenzo, Ohio State
   3. Belinda Woolcock, Florida
   4. Danielle Collins, Virginia
   5. Maegan Manasse, Cal
   6. Hayley Carter, North Carolina
   7. Sinead Lohan, Miami
   8. Julia Elbaba, Virginia
   9. Stephanie Wagner, Miami
   10. Klara Fabikova, Cal
   20. Taylor Davidson, Stanford
   26. Maiar Sherif Ahmed, Fresno State
   39. Caroline Doyle, Stanford
   42. Giuliana Olmos (Fremont), USC
   43. Paige Cline (Kentfield), South Carolina
   81. Olivia Hauger, Cal
   90. Marie Klocker, San Jose State
   101. Andrea Ka, USF
   103. Jamie Pawid, Saint Mary's

Women's doubles

   1. Aldila Sutjiadi and Mami Adachi, Kentucky
   2. Whitney Kay and Hayley Carter, North Carolina
   3. Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr, Cal
   4. Giuliana Olmos (Fremont) and Gabby Smith, USC
   5. Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan, Florida
   6. Anna Sanford and Miho Kowase, Ohio State
   7. Maddie Lipp and Alex Chatt, Northwestern
   8. Luisa Stefani and Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai, Pepperdine
   9. Kelsey Laurente and Maria Alvarez, Oklahoma State
   10. Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle, Stanford
   42. Sammi Hampton and Kassidy Jump (Granite Bay), Arizona State
   43. Klara Fabikova and Oliva Hauger, Cal
   T54. Giuliana Olmos and Rianna Valdes, USC
   58. Sophie Watts and Anneka Watts, Fresno State

Stanford's Davidson sweeps in Northwest Regionals

Stanford's Taylor Davidson won two titles today in
the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships.
File photo by Tri Nguyen/TriNguyenPhotography.com

   Playing at home, Stanford's Taylor Davidson won two titles today in the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships.
   The junior from Statesville, N.C., seeded first, defeated ninth-seeded Maier Sherif Ahmed of Fresno State 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 for her first collegiate singles crown. Top-seeded Davidson and Caroline Doyle, a junior from San Francisco, then beat third-seeded Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger of Cal 7-5, 6-3.
   Davidson and Doyle, All-Americans in doubles last season, were playing their first tournament together, according to Stanford's web site. They earned a berth in the USTA/ITA Naitonal Indoor Championships in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., in two weeks.
   Davidson became the sixth consecutive Cardinal to win the Northwest Regional singles title, following Carol Zhao (2014), Kristie Ahn (2013 and 2010), Krista Hardebeck (2012) and Nicole Gibbs (2011). Zhao, now a junior from Canada, beat Davidson in last year's final.
   It was the second doubles title in the Northwest Regionals for Davidson, who triumphed with Ellen Tsay two years ago.  
   The ITA's Northwest Region consists of Stanford, Cal, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Pacific, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle, UC Davis, Washington and Washington State.

Stanford freshman upsets sixth seed in NCAAs

Stanford freshman Carol Zhao, shown on May 10 at Stanford,
upset sixth-seeded Lauren Herring of host Georgia to reach the
round of 16 in the NCAA Championships and earn All-America
status. Tri Nguyen/TriNguyenPhotography.com

   Stanford's Carol Zhao, a freshman from Canada, upset sixth-seeded Lauren Herring of host Georgia 7-6 (4), 7-5 today to reach the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.
   Zhao's teammate, third-seeded Kristie Ahn, also advanced. The senior from Upper Saddle River, N.J., defeated UCLA's Kyle McPhillips 6-4, 6-2 in a matchup of players who have clinched the last two NCAA team titles. Ahn won at No. 2 singles against Texas A&M last year, and McPhillips triumphed at No. 3 against North Carolina on Tuesday.
   Joining Zhao and Ahn as All-Americans in the round of 16 were 9-16 seed Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's and Lynn Chi of Cal. Jullien, a senior from France, beat USC's Giuliana Olmos of Fremont 6-3, 7-6 (4).
   Falling in the second round were Stanford's Krista Hardebeck, Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle, and Cal's Anett Schutting and Zsofi Susanyi.
   Schutting was seeded 9-16, and Susanyi reached the semifinals two years ago as a freshman.
   Hardebeck, a sophomore from Santa Ana, had upset fourth-seeded Julia Elbaba of Virginia.
   The team of Ahn and Zhao also reached the round of 16 in doubles.
   On the men's side, Cal senior Ben McLachlan and UCLA freshman Mackenzie McDonald, from Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, advanced to the round of 16.
   No seeds remain in the top half of the draw. Only three are left in the bottom half, where McLachlan and McDonald reside.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
In Athens, Ga.

(Players with Northern California ties only)

Women's singles

Second round

   Lynn Chi, Cal, def. Romy Kolzer, Clemson, 7-5, 6-1.
   Kristie Ahn (3), Stanford, def. Kyle McPhillips, UCLA, 6-4, 6-2.
   Abigail Tere-Apisah, Georgia State, def. Zsofi Susanyi, Cal, 7-6 (3), 6-1.
   Silvia Garcia (9-16), Georgia, def. Taylor Davidson, Stanford, 6-0, 6-7 (6), 7-5.
   Carol Zhao, Stanford, def. Lauren Herring (6), Georgia, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
   Ester Goldfeld, Duke, def. Krista Hardebeck, Stanford, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
   Jenny Jullien (9-16), Saint Mary's, def. Giuliana Olmos, USC/Fremont, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
   Danielle Collins, Virginia, def. Anett Schutting (9-16), Cal, 6-3, 6-3.
   Robin Anderson (2), UCLA, def. Caroline Doyle, Stanford, 6-2, 6-3.

Women's doubles

First round

   Kristie Ahn and Carol Zhao, Stanford, def. Julia Fellerhoff and Rebecca Shine, Louisville, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Men's singles

Second round

   Ben McLachlan, Cal, def. Andrew Harris, Oklahoma, 7-5, 6-4.
   Mackenzie McDonald, UCLA/Piedmont, def. Jason Tahir, Duke, 6-4, 6-3.

Men's doubles

First round

   Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton, Cal, def. Becker O'Shaughnessey and Daniil Proskura (5-8), Alabama, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
   Marcos Giron and Mackenzie McDonald, UCLA (McDonald is from Piedmont), def. Casey MacMaster and Denis Nguyen, Harvard, 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (2).