Stanford's Ma sweeps ITA Northwest Regional titles

Connie Ma won all seven of her matches in straight sets in the ITA
Northwest Regional Championships at Stanford. 2018 photo
by Paul Bauman  

   In a match between Stanford freshmen, No. 2 seed Connie Ma of Dublin in the San Francisco Bay Area defeated No. 5 seed Alexandra Yepifanova of Lake Worth, Fla., 6-4, 6-1 today to win the ITA Northwest Regional Championships at Stanford.

   Earlier today in the rain-delayed tournament, Ma beat No. 3 seed Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary's in the Bay Area 6-4, 6-4, and Yepifanova eliminated No. 4 seed Jessica Alsola of the University of California, Berkeley and Fresno, Calif., 6-2, 7-5.

   Kozyreva, a fifth-year student from Russia, stunned No. 1 seed Zheng Saisai, then ranked No. 75 in the world, in the first round of the $60,000 Berkeley Challenger last month.

   Ma did not lose a set in her seven matches.

   In the all-Stanford doubles final, No. 1 seeds Angelica Blake of Boca Raton, Fla., and Ma topped No. 5-8 seeds Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale in the Bay Area and Yepifanova 8-7 [10-1].

   USTA Pro Circuit — Katie Volynets, 19, of Walnut Creek in the Bay Area downed Peangtarn Plupuech of Thailand 6-0, 7-5 in the first round of the $80,000 Christus Health Pro Challenge in Tyler, Texas.

   Volynets is set to face No. 2 seed Claire Liu of Thousand Oaks in the Los Angeles region on Thursday. Liu, 21, downed Francesca Di Lorenzo of Columbus, Ohio, 7-6 (3), 6-1. 

   Both Liu and Volynets qualified for Wimbledon this year. Liu reached the second round of the main draw, while Volynets lost in the first round.

   In the first round of Tyler doubles, No. 2 seeds Giuliana Olmos and Marcela Zacarias of Mexico dominated Americans Ellie Douglas and Elizabeth Mandlik 6-3, 6-0.

   Olmos was born in Austria and grew up in Fremont in the Bay Area. Zacarias reached the Berkeley final last month. Mandlik is the daughter of International Tennis Hall of Famer Hana Mandlikova of the Czech Republic.

   Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Ena Shibahara, a native of Mountain View in the Bay Area who represents Japan, and wild card Maribella Zamarripa of St. Helena in the Napa area qualified for a $25,000 tournament in Austin, Texas, in singles. Shibahara is ranked seventh in the world in doubles.

   In the opening round of doubles, Elysia Bolton, a UCLA senior from Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., and Maegan Manasse, a Cal assistant coach and former Bears All-American, outclassed No. 4 seeds Lu Jia-Jing of China and Moyuka Uchijima of Japan 6-0, 6-3. Lu reached the doubles final in the Berkeley Challenger with Liang En-Shuo of Chinese Taipei.

   In the first round of singles in the $25,000 USTA Men's Pro Tennis Championship of Calabasas in the Los Angeles region, No. 4 seed Govind Nanda dismissed fellow Sacramentan Aidan Mayo, an 18-year-old wild card, 6-2, 6-2. Stanford's Tristan Boyer advanced, but the Cardinal's Arthur Fery lost.

   In the final round of qualifying, No. 11 seed Eric Hadigian of Sacramento and Ethan Quinn of Fresno, Calif., won, but No. 10 seed Keenan Mayo, Aidan's older brother, fell to No. 2 seed Michael Shabaz of the United States 6-4, 3-6 [10-6].

Stanford's Fery sweeps in Northwest Super Regionals

   Stanford's Arthur Fery "Cross the Mersey" swept the singles and doubles titles today in the ITA Northwest Super Regional Championships in Seattle.

   Fery, a sophomore from Great Britain seeded first in singles, beat second-seeded Clement Chidekh of host Washington 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

   Fery and Alexandre Rotsaert, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., routed Matthew Hollingworth and Sasha Trkulja of Gonzaga 6-2, 6-1. 

   College women — Fifth-seeded Alexandra Yepifanova of host Stanford beat top-seeded Vanessa Wong of Washington 6-4, 7-6 (3) to reach the semifinals of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. 

   Yepifanova, a freshman from Lake Worth, Fla., is scheduled to play fourth-seeded Jessica Alsola of the University of California, Berkeley on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Alsola, a freshman from Fresno, Calif., topped sixth-seeded Angelica Blake of Stanford 1-6, 6-2, 6-0.

   In the other semifinal, also at 10 a.m., second-seeded Connie Ma of Stanford is set to meet third-seeded Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary's in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ma, a freshman from Dublin in the Bay Area, has not lost more than two games in a set in her five matches.

   The final will follow at 1 p.m.

   In the all-Stanford doubles final, No. 1 seeds Blake and Ma are slated to face No. 5-8 seeds Niluka Madurawe and Yepifanova.

   ATP Challenger Tour — No. 2 seed Jenson "The Great" Brooksby, 20, of Carmichael, Calif., in the Sacramento area, withdrew from this week's €66,640 ($77,379) Challenger in Brest, France, because of fatigue.

   Brooksby reached the semifinals of last week's European Open in Antwerp, Belgium, on the ATP Tour as a qualifier to clinch a berth in the Next Gen ATP Finals, featuring the world's top 21-and-under players, Nov. 9-13 in Milan. 

   ATP Tour — In the first round of doubles in the St. Petersburg Open, "Lindsay" Rohan Bopanna, 41, of India and Denis Shapovalov of Canada ousted No. 2 seeds "Baltimore" Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Ben "And Jerry's" McLachlan (Cal, 2011-14) of Japan 7-5, 6-4. Klaasen and McLachlan are winless in their last four tournaments.

   USTA Pro Circuit — No. 13 seed and Bay Area product Giuliana Olmos, Cal's Haley Giavara and Manteca, Calif., product Hind Abdelouahid lost in the first round of qualifying for the $80,000 Christus Health Pro Challenge in Tyler, Texas.

   Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Ena Shibahara, a Bay Area native who represents Japan, and wild card Maribella Zamarripa of St. Helena in the Napa region won in the opening round of qualifying for a $25,000 tournament in Austin, Texas.

   In the world doubles rankings, Shibahara is seventh and Olmos 27th.

Former Cal star captures Challenger doubles crown

Andre Goransson claimed his seventh career Challenger
doubles title. 2015 photo by Paul Bauman

   No. 1 seeds Andre Goransson (University of California, Berkeley, 2014-17) of Sweden and Nathaniel Lammons of Dallas defeated No. 2 seeds Rafael Matos and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves of Brazil 7-6 (3), 6-3 today to win the €44,820 ($54,189) Biella (Italy) Challenger on red clay.

   Goransson earned his second Challenger doubles title of the year, seventh of his career and first with Lammons. They eked out a 6-4, 3-6 [10-8] victory over N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan of India in the quarterfinals and ended the 10-match winning streak of No. 4 seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul of France in the semifinals. 

   Goransson will rise two notches to No. 84 in the world in doubles, four off his career high, on Monday. He and Lammons split €2,670 ($3,248). 

   NCAA Tournament — The host Pepperdine women, ranked fifth, beat No. 27 Stanford, which has won the last two NCAA titles and three of the last four, 4-2 in the second round in Malibu, Calif.

   With the score tied 2-2, No. 111 Angelica Blake and No. 34 Michaela Gordon, a senior from Saratoga, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost three-setters. Gordon fell to Ashley Lahey, the NCAA singles runner-up in 2018, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

   The Cardinal ended the season at 15-5. The NCAA singles and doubles championships begin May 23 in Orlando, Fla. Gordon and California's Haley Giavara earned berths in singles and doubles. Gordon will team with junior Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, and Giavara will pair with Valentina Ivanov.

   The No. 13 Cal women eliminated No. 26 Kentucky 4-2 in Berkeley, Calif., in the second round. Jada Bui clinched the victory with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Elizabeth Stevens on Court 4.

   The Bears (19-6) will face No. 1 North Carolina (28-0) on May 16 in the round of 16 in Orlando, Fla. 

   The No. 21 Stanford men blanked No. 40 LSU 4-0 in the first round in Charlottesville, Va. The Cardinal (11-5) will meet host Virginia (22-2), ranked fifth, in Charlottesville on Sunday at 9 a.m.

Stanford women snap longest skid in 40 years

   The No. 38 Stanford women ended their longest losing streak in 40 years today, dominating No. 34 USC 6-1 in Los Angeles.

   The Cardinal's only loss came on Court 1 as Salma Ewing defeated No. 48 Michaela Gordon, a senior from Saratoga, Calif., near Stanford, 4-6, 6-4 [10-3].

   Stanford, which had lost three straight, improved to 11-3 overall and 7-2 in the Pacific-12 Conference. USC dropped to 11-8 and 5-4.

   Cal women — The No. 16 Bears lost at No. 7 UCLA 7-0 to fall to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12.

   No. 11 Abbey Forbes routed No. 41 Haley Giavara 6-2, 6-0 on Court 1 as the Bruins improved to 15-3 and 9-0. 

   Stanford men — Timothy Sah came through again for the No. 37 Cardinal.

   The senior from San Diego outlasted Lodewijk Westrate of No. 15 USC 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 7-5 on Court 5 to give host Stanford (8-3, 5-0 Pac-12) a 4-3 victory over the Trojans (16-6, 4-2).

   Sah also won the deciding match in the host Cardinal's 4-3 win over No. 34 UCLA on Saturday.

Stephens stopped; Stanford women suffer historic skid

   No. 15 seed Veronika Kudermetova of Russia beat unseeded Sloane "Ranger" Stephens, who grew up in Fresno, Calif., 6-3, 6-4 today in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open on clay in Charleston, S.C.

   Stephens, now based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was playing in her first quarterfinal since the 2019 French Open. She won the 2017 U.S. Open and reached the Roland Garros final in 2018.

   Stephens has slumped from a career-high No. 3 in 2018 to No. 57. She has lost an aunt, a grandmother and a grandfather to COVID-19 and has tested positive for the coronavirus herself.

   College women — No. 9 UCLA thrashed No. 38 Stanford 7-0 in Los Angeles to improve to 14-3 overall and 8-0 in the Pacific-12 Conference. The Cardinal (10-3, 6-2) has lost three straight for the first time in 40 years.

   Hannah Viller Moeller lifted California (14-4, 7-1 Pac-12) to a 4-3 victory at No. 37 USC (11-7, 5-3). 

   College men — No. 37 Stanford overcame a 3-0 deficit to stun No. 34 UCLA 4-3 at Stanford. Timothy Sah, a senior from San Diego, won the deciding match 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-4 against Sam Feit on Court 5.

   The Cardinal improved to 7-3 and 4-0. The Bruins fell to 11-4 and 4-2.

   

Stanford women, men ranked high; Volynets in semis

   The Stanford women, who have won the last two NCAA titles and three of the last four, are fourth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason team rankings released today.

   Ranked ahead of the Cardinal are, in order, North Carolina, UCLA and Texas. California is 19th. 

   The Stanford men are ranked fifth behind, in order, USC, North Carolina, Ohio State and Michigan. Cal did not crack the top 25.

   UTR Pro Tennis Series — In a battle of San Francisco Bay Area teenagers, top-seeded Katie Volynets outlasted Vivian Ovrootsky 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the first-place playoff in Newport Beach, Calif.

   Volynets, a 19-year-old pro from Walnut Creek, is scheduled to meet Jessica Luisa Alsola of Fresno, Calif., on Saturday in the $25,000 tournament. Alsola, who's headed to Cal in the fall, defeated Camille Kiss, a UC Santa Barbara freshman from Redlands, Calif., 6-1, retired.

   Ovrootsky, 16, of San Jose has verbally committed to the University of Texas for 2022.

   In the quarterfinals of the third-place playoff, Filippa Bruu-Syversen of Chatham, N.J. beat Priya Nelson, 15, of Sacramento, Calif., by walkover. Bruu-Syversen plans to enroll at UCSB in the fall. 

   Tomi Main, a high school junior from Seaside, Calif., planning to attend Texas Tech in 2022, is slated to play Isabella Chhiv, a high school sophomore from Irvine, Calif., on Friday at 9 a.m. in the quarters of the third-place playoff. Live streaming is available.

Stanford men's recruiting class ranked first in nation

   Paul Goldstein recently took another big step in his efforts to rebuild the Stanford men's program.
   The sixth-year Cardinal head coach has compiled the nation's top recruiting class for 2020, according to tennisrecruiting.net.
   Headed to Stanford, which ended the shortened 2020 season ranked eighth, are Great Britain's Arthur Fery, the 12th-ranked junior in the world; blue chippers Alex Lee of Oak Brook, Ill., and Aryan Chaudhary of Santa Clara, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area; and Tristan Boyer of Altadena, Calif., in the Los Angeles region.
   Chaudhary is ranked 11th nationally in the 18s, and Boyer was the runner-up to Jenson Brooksby of Carmichael in the Sacramento region in the 2018 Easter Bowl at Indian Wells, Calif.
   The Stanford men have not won the NCAA team championship since Dick Gould won the last of his 17 titles in 2000. Goldstein, playing for Gould, became the first player to compete on four NCAA championship teams (1995-98), a feat also accomplished by USC's Steve Johnson (2009-12).
   The University of California men, ranked 36th, were not ranked among the top 25 recruiting classes.
   In women's recruiting, the Cal and Stanford classes rank third and seventh, respectively. Texas is No. 1 and Georgia Tech No. 2.
   Cal, ranked 38th, added Jada Bui of Ajax, Ontario, Hannah Viller Møller of Denmark and Cami Brown of Irvine, Calif.
   Bui has a world junior ranking of No. 76. Viller Møller was ranked No. 1 in the 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s in Denmark. Brown is the 68th-ranked recruit by tennisrecruiting.net.
   Sixth-ranked Stanford, which has won the last two NCAA team titles and three of the last four, snagged India Houghton of Belvedere Tiburon in the Bay Area and Ana Geller of Argentina.
   Houghton is No. 3 on tennisrecruiting.net's list of recruits. Geller, the sister of Stanford senior Axel Geller, has a world junior ranking of No. 43.

Stanford women's conference win streak ends at 38

   The Stanford women lost a Pacific-12 Conference match for the first time in almost exactly four years on Saturday.
   The No. 9 Cardinal fell to No. 3 UCLA 4-1 at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, snapping the Cardinal's conference winning streak at 38 matches.
   Stanford (10-2, 1-1), which has won the last two NCAA team titles and three of the last four, hadn't lost to a Pac-12 opponent in the regular season since a 4-3 decision at Arizona State on March 5, 2016.
   The Cardinal's Angelica Blake, a freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., tied the score against UCLA 1-1 with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over No. 17 Jada Hart on Court 3.
   No. 12 Michaela Gordon, a Stanford junior from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, led No. 9 Elysia Bolton 4-6, 6-2, 4-1 on Court 1 when the match was abandoned.
   Both of the Cardinal's losses this season have come against UCLA (12-1, 2-0), which has won five matches in a row. The Bruins routed Stanford 4-0 on Feb. 9 in the semifinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago.
   Cal women – The No. 21 Bears defeated No. 37 USC 6-1 in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday to improve to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12. The Women of Troy fell to 7-6 and 0-2.
   No. 27 Angela Kulikov of USC outlasted No. 15 Haley Giavara, a freshman from San Diego, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Court 1 in the last match.
   College men – No. 7 seeds Ben Draper and Bjorn Hoffmann of Cal lost to brothers Tanner Smith and Colter Smith of Long Beach, Calif., 6-4, 6-7 (5) [13-11] today in the semifinals of the 131st Annual Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, Calif.
   Draper and Hoffman beat 10th-seeded Filip Kolasinski and Alexandre Rotsaert of Stanford 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1 in the fourth round on Friday.
   Kolasinski and Rotsaert ousted co-No. 1 seeds Keegan Smith and Johannes de Villiers (assistant coach) of UCLA in the third round.
   Co-No. 1 seeds Bradley Frye and Brandon Holt, the son of International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, beat the Smith brothers 6-4, 6-3 for the title.

Stanford women plunge nine spots to No. 12

Michaela Gordon, a Stanford junior from nearby Saratoga, dropped three places
to No. 9 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. She is shown
in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger. Photo by Rob Vomund

   The Stanford women, who have won the last two NCAA team titles and three of the last four, tumbled nine places to No. 12 in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
   The Cardinal (6-1) lost to No. 7 UCLA 4-0 on Feb. 9 in the semifinals of the ITA Division I Women's National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago.
   Meanwhile, the California women (1-1) plunged 24 spots to No. 45 after losing to No. 9 Virginia 4-1 on Jan. 24 and edging No. 42 Kansas 4-3 on Jan. 25, both in Lawrence, Kan.
   In women's singles, Michaela Gordon, a Stanford junior from nearby Saratoga, dropped three notches to No. 9, and Haley Giavara, a Cal freshman from San Diego, slipped one spot to No. 13.
   The Stanford men (7-3) remained No. 8, and Cal (4-2) fell seven places to No. 22.
   Alexandre Rotsaert, a Cardinal sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., soared from No. 21 to No. 5 after beating No. 6 Christian Sigsgaard of Texas 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday.
   Rotsaert's teammate, junior Axel Geller of Argentina, plunged from No. 16 to No. 29. Since beating No. 8 Keegan Smith of UCLA on Feb. 1, Geller has gone 0-3 with losses to No. 37 Alexis Galarneau of North Carolina State, No. 1 Daniel Cukierman of USC and No. 2 Yuya Ito of Texas.
   Damon Kesaris, a Saint Mary's senior from South Africa, dropped four spots to No. 13. Sam Riffice, a Florida sophomore who grew up in the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Roseville,  stayed at No. 4.

Clijsters falls to Muguruza in comeback match

   So much for easing her way back onto the tour.
   In a matchup of former world No. 1 players, wild card Kim Clijsters lost to ninth-seeded Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 7-6 (6) today in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
   "I had a good feeling out there," Clijsters, who won four singles titles in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford (2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006), said on wtatennis.com. "I do feel a little bit of – I'm not going to say relief, but (satisfaction) that I can handle the pace.
   "Second set, I felt I was really in the match. I felt like for a while I was dominating some of the points. That's a good feeling. ... I'll take that with me for the next matches."
   It was the first match since 2012 for Clijsters, a 36-year-old mother of three. Inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017, she has won six Grand Slam titles (four in singles and two in doubles).
   Muguruza, 26, has revived her career this year after reuniting with coach Conchita Martinez. In Muguruza's three other tournaments in 2020, she reached the semifinals in Shenzhen, quarterfinals in Hobart and final in the Australian Open.
   Muguruza advanced to the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic in 2017, the tournament's last year before moving to San Jose as the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. She also reached the singles quarterfinals and won the doubles title with fellow Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro at Stanford in 2014 at age 20.
   College Men's Indoors – Second-seeded USC overwhelmed seventh-seeded Stanford 4-0 on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the ITA Division I Men's National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. The Trojans defeated North Carolina 4-1 today for the title.
   College Women's Indoors – Fourth-seeded UCLA dominated top-seeded Stanford 4-0 in the semifinals of the ITA Division I Women's National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 9 in Chicago. Second-seeded North Carolina routed the Bruins 4-0 for the crown.

Stanford's Gordon avoids letdown, rolls in NCAA singles

Michaela Gordon, shown on May 5, dominated in the first round of the NCAA
Singles Championships one day after helping Stanford win its second consec-
utive NCAA title. Photo by Mal Taam

   Michaela Gordon easily could have suffered a letdown in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

   Instead, the Stanford sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area dominated. 

   Less than 24 hours after helping Stanford win its second consecutive NCAA title, Gordon routed fifth-seeded Makenna Jones of North Carolina 6-2, 6-1 today in Orlando, Fla.

   Gordon, who outlasted Jones 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 two days ago in the team semifinals, has won nine of her last 10 matches. She will face Jada Hart of UCLA.

   Two other Stanford players lost three-set battles. Senior Melissa Lord fell to Paola Delgado of Virginia Commonwealth 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and junior Emily Arbuthnott came up short against Justina Mikulskyte of Kentucky 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

   Cal women went 1-1. Sophomore Julia Rosenqvist overwhelmed Valeriya Zeleva of Central Florida 6-0, 6-2, but senior Olivia Hauger lost to 2017 NCAA champion Brienne Minor of Michigan 6-1, 6-4. Rosenqvist will take on No. 9-16 seed Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas.

   Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a senior from the Bay Area suburb of Sunnyvale, surprised No. 9-16 seed Christina Rosca of Vanderbilt 6-2, 7-5 to set up a match against Aiwen Zhu of UNLV.

   South Carolina's Paige Cline, a senior from Kentfield in the Bay Area seeded No. 9-16, lost to Katarina Stresnakova of Oklahoma State 6-2, 6-4.
   In the men's draw, Stanford freshman Alexandre Rotsaert fell to Emil Reinberg of Georgia 6-2, 7-5. Cardinal sophomore Axel Geller, ranked No. 13 in singles, withdrew from singles and doubles. The reason was not disclosed.
   Florida's Sam Riffice, who grew up in Roseville in the Sacramento region, knocked off No. 9-16 seed Johannes Schretter of Baylor 7-5, 6-2. Riffice, the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, will meet Daniel Cukierman of USC.
   Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, outplayed Carlos Divar of Georgia Tech 6-2, 6-2. Pham will take on No. 9-16 Yuya Ito, the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA team competition after clinching the title for Texas on Sunday.
   The NCAA Doubles Championships begin Tuesday.

Stanford women rout Georgia for 20th NCAA title

Melissa Lord, shown on May 5, helped No. 3 Stanford beat No. 1 Georgia 4-0
today in the final of the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Fla. Photo by Mal Taam

   The Stanford women emphatically avenged their only loss of the season to win their 20th NCAA team title.
   The No. 3 Cardinal routed No. 1 Georgia 4-0 today at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., for their second consecutive NCAA crown and third in four years.
   Stanford coach Lele Forood matched her predecessor, Frank Brennan, with 10 NCAA titles. No other school approaches the Cardinal's total. Florida ranks second with seven titles, and Georgia is tied for third with three other schools at two.
   The Cardinal (28-1), playing in its fourth straight NCAA final, ended the season with 23 victories in a row. Stanford lost to Georgia 4-3 in the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships in Seattle in February.
   In today's deciding doubles match, No. 29 Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, beat Georgia's Elena Christofi and Vivian Wolff 7-5 on Court 2.
   Three Stanford players followed with 6-2, 6-4 victories. In order, No. 66 Caroline Lampl won on Court 3, No. 29 Melissa Lord triumphed on Court 2, and No. 108 Janice Shin prevailed on Court 5.
   On Court 1, No. 2 Katarina Jokic of Georgia (28-2) led No. 24 Gordon 7-5, 3-2 when the match was abandoned.
   The No. 2 Texas men beat No. 4 Wake Forest, the defending champion, 4-1 for its first NCAA team title.
   Longhorns head coach Michael Center was fired on March 13 amid the college admissions cheating scandal and was replaced on an interim basis by associate head coach Bruce Berque.
   Center has pleaded guilty to fraud after allegedly accepting a $100,000 bribe. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 30. Prosecutors recommend a term of 15 to 21 months.

Stanford women reach fourth consecutive NCAA final

Janice Shin, shown on May 5, and Michaela Gordon won within 11 seconds of
each other to give No. 3 Stanford a 5-2 victory over No. 2 North Carolina today
in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Fla. Photo by Mal Taam

   A rare double-clinch put the Stanford women in their fourth consecutive NCAA final.
   Michaela Gordon and Janice Shin won within seconds of each other to give the No. 3 Cardinal a 5-2 victory over No. 2 North Carolina today in the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Fla.
   Stanford (27-1), the defending champion, extended its winning streak to 22 matches and ended the Tar Heels' at 24. North Carolina ended the season at 33-2.
   No. 108 Shin, a sophomore from Houston, defeated Jessie Aney 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Court 5 at the USTA National Campus 11 seconds before No. 24 Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, topped No. 5 Makenna Jones 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 1. But because both concluding points were in progress simultaneously, Shin and Gordon were credited with clinching victories, according to gostanford.com.
   Shin improved to 7-0 in the NCAA Championships, and Gordon defeated the highest-ranked player of her career. However, Caroline Lampl's winning streak ended at 23 matches on Court 3.
   No. 20 Emily Arbuthnott and Gordon lost to No. 12 Jones and Cameron Morra 6-4, but Stanford won the doubles point. No. 29 Melissa Lord made it 2-0 with her 100th career singles victory, 6-1, 6-3 over No. 7 Alexa Graham on Court 2. No. 119 Sara Choy, a late substitution as a freshman from Palo Alto, increased the lead to 3-0 with a 7-5, 6-1 decision over Alle Sanford on Court 6.
   North Carolina rallied for 3-2 before falling short.
   Stanford will seek its third NCAA title in four years when it faces No. 1 Georgia on Sunday not before 2 p.m. PDT (Tennis Channel). The Bulldogs (28-1) beat No. 5 Duke 4-2.
   Georgia edged Stanford 4-3 on Feb. 11 in the semifinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle.
   Stanford leads all schools with 19 of a possible 37 NCAA titles. Florida ranks second with seven, and Georgia is tied for third with three other schools at two.
   This will be Georgia's fourth NCAA final, all against Stanford. The Cardinal won in 1987, but the Bulldogs prevailed in 1994 and 2000.

Stanford women beat Pepperdine in NCAA quarters

Emily Arbuthnott, shown on May 5, clinched No. 3 Stanford's 4-1 victory over No. 6
Pepperdine today in the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Fla. Photo by Mal Taam

   After losing the doubles point, the No. 3 Stanford women won four consecutive singles matches to defeat No. 6 Pepperdine 4-1 today in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships in Orlando, Fla.
   It's the fifth time this season that the Cardinal (26-1) has triumphed after losing the doubles point, according to gostanford.com. In fact, Stanford has won 20 of 25 matches after trailing 1-0 since 2016.
   Pepperdine (24-4) won both completed doubles matches at the USTA National Campus. No. 86 Daria Kuczer and Ashley Lahey beat No. 29 Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, 6-4 to clinch the point.
   Defending champion Stanford then received straight-set victories from, in order, No. 108 Janice Shin on Court 5, No. 107 Emma Higuchi on Court 6, No. 29 Melissa Lord on Court 2 and No. 44 Arbuthnott on Court 4. Lord, a senior from Bloomfield, Conn., earned her 99th career singles victory.
   No. 37 Lahey, last year's NCAA singles runner-up, led No. 24 Gordon 6-4, 2-6, 2-0 on Court 1 when the match was abandoned.
   Stanford will face an even hotter team than itself when it meets No. 2 North Carolina (33-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. PDT. The Tar Heels, who have lost to the Cardinal in the NCAA Championships for the past two years, defeated No. 7 UCLA 4-1 for their 24th straight win.
   In Saturday's other semifinal, No. 1 Georgia (27-1) will play No. 5 Duke (27-3) at 3 p.m.

Stanford women edge Kansas, gain NCAA quarters

Janice Shin, shown Sunday against Syracuse, gave third seed and host Stanford
a 4-3 victory over 14th-seeded Kansas today in an NCAA Super Regional.
Photo by Mal Taam

   The third-seeded Stanford women edged 14th-seeded Kansas 4-3 today at Taube Family Tennis Stadium to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.
   Janice Shin, a sophomore from Houston ranked No. 108, defeated Nina Khmelnitckaia 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Court 5 to lift the defending champion Cardinal (25-1) to its 20th consecutive victory.
   No. 13 Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas (21-5) leveled the match at 3-3 with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 24 Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, on Court 1.
   The Jayhawks, who won the doubles point, were making their first appearance in the round of 16 since 1998.
   Stanford will face sixth-seeded Pepperdine (24-3) next Friday at a time to be determined at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The Waves beat Central Florida 4-2 in Malibu, Calif.
   It will be the first meeting between Stanford and Pepperdine this season.

Stanford's Gordon, Cal's Kikuchi earn big Pac-12 honors

Michaela Gordon, playing in qualifying in the 2017 Sacramento Challenger,
was named the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year as a Stanford sophomore.
Photo by Rob Vomund

   Stanford's Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area,
 was named the Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year on Monday.
   Cal's Yuta Kikuchi, meanwhile, was picked as the Freshman/Newcomer of the Year today.
   Gordon, who earned 2018 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and Doubles Team of the Year honors, joined UCLA's Robin Anderson (2011-15) as the only women to win all three major Pac-12 awards.
   Gordon, ranked No. 24 nationally, is 22-9 in the top two singles spots with a seven-match winning streak, including six over ranked players.
   Third-ranked Stanford, the defending NCAA champion, placed three women on the six-player All-Pac-12 first team. Joining Gordon were seniors Caroline Lampl of Leesburg, Va., and Melissa Lord of Bloomfield, Conn.
   Stanford's Emily Arbuthnott, a junior from England, and Cal's Julia Rosenqvist, a sophomore from Sweden, made the six-player second team.
   Cal's Olivia Hauger, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., and Anna Bright, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., received honorable mention.
   Kikuchi, from Japan, played No. 1 singles for most of the season, compiling a 20-14 record. He is ranked No. 28 in doubles with sophomore Jacob Brumm.
   Stanford's Axel Geller, a sophomore from Argentina, made the first team. Selected for the second team were the Cardinal's Alexandre Rotsaert, a freshman from Boca Raton, and Kikuchi.
   Stanford's William Genesen, a junior from Tulsa, Okla., received honorable mention.

Stanford women cruise into NCAA round of 16

Michaela Gordon, playing in qualifying in the 2017 Sacramento
Challenger, routed No. 14 Gabriela Knutson 6-3, 6-0 today to
help host Stanford, seeded third, beat Syracuse 4-1 in the sec-
ond round of the NCAA Championships. Photo by Rob Vomund 

   The host Stanford women, seeded third, beat Syracuse 4-1 today at Taube Family Tennis Stadium to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Championships.
   The Cardinal (24-1) extended its winning streak to 19 matches in a quest for its second consecutive NCAA title, third in four years and 20th overall. Florida ranks second with seven NCAA crowns. No other school has won more than two.
   Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, gave Stanford a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Gabriela Knutson on Court 1. At No. 14, Knutson is the highest-ranked player whom No. 24 Gordon has defeated this season.
   Syracuse's victory came on Court 2 as Sofya Golubovskaya upset Melissa Lord 6-4, 6-2. Lord, a senior from Bloomfield, Conn., had been 16-0 in NCAA team competition, including the clincher in last year's final against Vanderbilt.
   Stanford will host 14th-seeded Kansas (21-4) on Friday at 2 p.m. in the Super Regionals. The Jayhawks defeated Florida 4-2 on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.
   The winner of the Stanford-Kansas match will travel to Orlando, Fla., where eight teams will compete for the national title May 17-19 at the USTA National Campus.

Cal men stun No. 15 seed to reach NCAA round of 16

   The Cal men shocked host and 15th seed Illinois 4-1 today in Urbana, Ill., to reach the round of 16 in the NCAA Championships.
   Ben Draper, a sophomore from England, clinched the victory when he defeated Siphosothando Montsi, a freshman from South Africa, 6-4, 7-5 on Court 4.
   "The team has a ton of heart, and we're peaking at the right time," Cal coach Peter Wright said on calbears.com. "We've had some ups and downs this season, but we've poured ourselves into the postseason, playing well at the Pac-12 Championship and getting off to a good start at the NCAAs."
   Paul Barretto, a sophomore from Tiburon in the San Francisco Bay Area, helped the Bears win the doubles point with a victory on Court 2. In singles, he trailed Zeke Clark 7-5, 0-4 on Court 3 when the match was abandoned.
   Illinois freshman Keenan Mayo, who grew up in Roseville in the Sacramento region, lost 7-6 (3) in doubles on Court 3. He did not play singles.
   The 14th-ranked Bears (16-12), who have won five of their last six matches, will face second-seeded Texas (25-3) in Austin, Texas, next Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Super Regionals. The Longhorns beat South Florida 4-1 in Austin.
   The host Stanford men, seeded 12th, dominated UC Santa Barbara 4-0 at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. The Cardinal (19-6) will meet fifth-seeded Virginia (23-4) in Charlottesville, Va., next Saturday at 10 a.m. PDT.
   The third-seeded Stanford women opened the defense of their 19th NCAA title with a 4-0 victory over New Mexico State at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
   The Cardinal (23-1), which extended its winning streak to 18 matches, will host Syracuse (14-12) on Sunday at noon. The Orange eliminated Wisconsin 4-2 at Stanford.
   In Malibu, Calif., sixth seed and host Pepperdine beat Cal 4-0 for its 20th consecutive victory. The Bears ended the season with a 13-9 record.
   100th anniversary -- The Sutter Lawn Tennis Club in Sacramento celebrated its 100th anniversary on Thursday.

Three Stanford women chosen for NCAA singles

Stanford's Michaela Gordon, a sophomore from Saratoga in the San Francisco
Bay Area, was selected to play singles and doubles in the NCAA Champion-
ships, May 20-25 in Orlando, Fla. Photo by Rob Vomund

   Three women from defending champion Stanford are two from Cal were among the 64 singles players selected Tuesday for the NCAA Championships.
   The men's and women's singles and doubles tournaments are scheduled for May 20-25, following the May 16-19 team competition, at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
   Stanford will send sophomore Michaela Gordon of Saratoga in the San Francisco Bay Area, junior Emily Arbuthnott and senior Melissa Lord. Cardinal senior Caroline Lampl was named as an alternate.
   Representing Cal in singles will be senior Olivia Haugen and sophomore Julia Rosenqvist.
   Also chosen were South Carolina's Paige Cline, a senior from Kentfield, and Texas Tech's Felicity Maltby, a senior from Sunnyvale. Kentfield and Sunnyvale are also in the Bay Area.
   The 32-team doubles field includes the teams of Arbuthnott and Gordon, Lampl and senior Kimberly Yee, and Rosenqvist and sophomore Hana Mraz. Saint Mary's sophomores Hind Abdelouahid and Mariia Kozyreva are alternates.
   Stanford sophomore Axel Geller is seeded 9-16 in men's singles. Also selected were Columbia's Victor Pham, a senior from Saratoga, and Florida's Sam Riffice, a freshman who grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville.
   The doubles draw includes Geller and freshman Alexandre Rotsaert, Cal freshman Yuta Kikuchi and sophomore Jacob Brumm, and Vanderbilt senior Cameron Klinger from San Jose and junior Billy Rowe.

Stanford women to begin NCAA title defense at home

   The third-seeded Stanford women (22-1) will open their NCAA title defense on Saturday at noon against New Mexico State (15-9) at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, the NCAA announced today.
   At the same site, Syracuse (13-12) will play Wisconsin (18-5) on Saturday at 9 a.m., and the winners will meet on Sunday at noon. The Cardinal has won 59 of its last 62 matches at home.
   The Cal women (12-8) will face Long Beach State (17-5) on Friday at 10 a.m. in Malibu, Calif. Host Pepperdine (21-3), seeded sixth, will play Fairfield (14-7) at 1 p.m.
   In the NCAA Men's Championships, 12th-seeded Stanford (17-6) will open against Fresno State (18-10) on Friday at 2 p.m. at Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Texas Tech (15-11) will play UC Santa Barbara (16-6) at 11 a.m., with the winners meeting on Saturday at 3 p.m.
   Cal (14-12) will face Drake (19-13) on Friday or Saturday in Urbana, Ill. Host Illinois (18-8), seeded 15th, will play Western Michigan (18-8).
   The men's and women's tournaments feature 64 teams. In a format change this year, second-round winners advance to the Super Regionals on May 10-11 at campus sites. The rest of each tournament is scheduled for May 17-19 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
   The USTA National Campus also will host the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments on May 20-25.
   Stephens engaged -- Sloane Stephens, a 26-year-old Fresno product, and Jozy Altidore, an American professional soccer player, announced their engagement.