Doubles Highlight Play at ITA Northwest Regionals

STANFORD, Calif. – Washington State advance two doubles teams to the third round at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regionals, while all three singles competitors were eliminated Saturday at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

In doubles play, Lize Leenknecht and Elizaveta Luzina picked up their fifth-straight doubles win on the year after posting a sound 8-1 win over Portland’s Maja Mladenovic and Amanda Zuidema. The couple will next face the No.3-seeded pair of Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi from California. Donika Bashota and Victoria Matejevic opened round two of doubles with an 8-6 victory Cal Poly’s Dane’ Joubert and Hannah Stone. The duo will open round three squaring off against another seeded Cal team, the No.1 seeded Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr.

In consolation doubles play, Grace Lymer-Sullivan and Holly Monahan fell 8-3 to Oregon’s Lina Akesson and Allie Hueffner. The Cougars other consolation duo of Biryukova and Nastia Vasyukhina came up with a big win outdueling Gonzaga’s Alexandra Bourguignon and Samantha Polayes, 8-5

In singles play, Luzina, seeded No. 11, was upset in the third round, as she fell to Santa Clara’s Delphine Rouvillois, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Biryukova and Bashota both fell in the third round to seeded Stanford student-athletes. Biryukova pushed No. 14 seed Ellen Tsay to three sets before falling 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. Bashota squared off against the No. 2 seed, Carol Zhao, falling 6-3, 6-0.

In singles consolation play, Matejevic posted a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5) over Cal Poly’s Emily Gibbens, while teammate Leenknecht posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory over San Francisco’s Sofia Holmberg. Nastia Vasyukhina defeated Ana Loaiza of Sacramento State in a tight 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 10-(7) victory, while fellow freshmen, Holly Monahan and Grace Lymer-Sullivan, both fell short in the first round of consolation play. Monahan lost a 6-3, 6-3 decision to Sacramento State’s Alina Soltanici while Gergana Boncheva of Portland got the upper hand on Lymer-Sullivan winning 6-2, 6-4.

Play continues at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regionals Sunday morning. Live coverage of the tournament can be found at http://streamingtennis.com/cardinal.

--wsucougars.com--