No. 2 Women's Tennis Blanks No. 19 Cal in Opener
LOS ANGELES – Nearly one full year since its last appearance at Los Angeles Tennis Center, the No. 2 UCLA women's tennis team returned with a 4-0 defeat of No. 19 California Sunday in ITA Kickoff Weekend action.
The Bruins (1-0) received contributions from a mix of returning players and newcomers, with freshman Vanessa Ong securing the clinching victory on Court 6. Top-10 standouts Abbey Forbes and Elysia Bolton also notched singles wins against their counterparts from the Golden Bears (1-1).
UCLA got off on the right foot, taking the doubles point without a loss. The nation's No. 1 combination of Bolton and Jada Hart looked in midseason form, dealing No. 53 Anna Bright and Julia Rosenqvist a 6-1 defeat on the top court. Annette Goulak and Vivian Wolff – also making her debut as a Bruin – closed strong against Haley Giavara and Hannah Viller Moeller for a 6-3 win and the first point of the afternoon.
In singles play, No. 7 Forbes set the tone early in her matchup with No. 18 Giavara on Court 1. Forbes surrendered just one game in the first set and never looked back en route to a 6-1, 6-3 victory. The top-court triumph was Forbes' second in as many tries.
Next door, No. 9 Bolton was completing a straight-set win of her own. The junior carried over momentum from her dominating doubles performance with Hart to dispatch of No. 26 Valentina Ivanov in a 6-2, 6-3 decision.
No. 19 Hart also earned a first-set win on Court 3, but No. 43 Rosenqvist countered to send their Court 3 match into a third set. The same was the case on Court 5 where Abi Altick of UCLA bounced back from a lost first set against Bright on Court 5. Wolff was a game away from forcing a third set of her own when Ong sealed the deal.
The first-year player out of Oklahoma City held off Erin Richardson in a back-and-forth affair, ensuring their match would not go to a third set. Already in possession of a first-set win, Ong led by a 5-4 score in the second. Richardson tied it up at five games apiece, but could not do any more damage. Ong took the final two games, including a break of serve in the decider. A 15-shot rally ended it, with a Richardson forehand landing wide.
Texas A&M defeated Washington State, 4-1, in the first match of the day Sunday. The Bruins and the Aggies are scheduled to square off at 1 p.m., PT Monday. WSU and Cal will meet in an all-Pac-12 consolation match at 9 a.m.
Tennis Match Results
California vs UCLA
1/24/2021 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#2 UCLA 4, #19 California 0
Singles competition
1. #7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #18 Haley Giavara (CAL) 6-1, 6-3
2. #9 Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. #26 Valentina Ivanov (CAL) 6-2, 6-3
3. #19 Jada Hart (UCLA) vs. #43 Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) 6-2, 2-6, 3-1, unfinished
4. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) vs. H. Viller Moeller (CAL) 3-6, 5-4, unfinished
5. Abi Altick (UCLA) vs. Anna Bright (CAL) 2-6, 6-3, unfinished
6. #119 Vanessa Ong (UCLA) def. Erin Richardson (CAL) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #1 Elysia Bolton/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. #53 Anna Bright/Julia Rosenqvist (CAL) 6-1
2. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Haley Giavara/H. Viller Moeller (CAL) 6-3
3. Abi Altick/Abbey Forbes (UCLA) vs. Jada Bui/Valentina Ivanov (CAL) 4-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
California 1-1; National ranking #19
UCLA 1-0; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,2,6)
ITA Kickoff Weekend – UCLA Regional