Women's Tennis Beats WSU, 6-1, in Pac-12 Opener

PULLMAN, Wash. – The No. 6 UCLA women's tennis team earned a convincing first win of Pac-12 play, dispatching of No. 47 Washington State by a 6-1 score Friday afternoon at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Center.

The Bruins (7-2, 1-0) collected the doubles point and never looked back, pushing their advantage to 5-0 before the Cougars (5-5, 0-1) were able to take a third-set, 10-point tiebreaker. The front-court trio of Abbey Forbes, Jada Hart and Sasha Vagramov earned the first three points in singles play, with Vagramov the clincher. Abi Altick and Annette Goulak also prevailed.

Doubles play belonged to the Bruins, as each match was completed in their favor. First off was Forbes and Hart on Court 1, where the pair picked up its second win in as many tries, 6-2 over Michaela Bayerlova and Hikaru Sato.

Next to finish were Goulak and Vivian Wolff, who continued their winning ways on Court 2. With its 6-2 victory against Melisa Ates and Yang Lee, Goulak/Wolff extended its winning streak to five matches and improved to 7-1 overall. The tandem had been first to finish in six straight matches after clinching the initial point in UCLA's opener versus California. Altick and Taylor Johnson finished off the sweep with a 6-2 triumph over Pang Jittakoat and Fifa Kumhom on Court 3.

Five initial sets went the way of the Bruins to move them closer to the overall victory. No. 19 Hart closed first, dealing Sato a 6-1, 6-2 loss on Court 2. With two wins Friday, Hart moved to 198 combined, across singles and doubles, for her career.

No. 7 Forbes followed Hart's example with a 6-1, 6-2 victory of her own on the top court. Forbes defeated No. 55 Bayerlova to move to 7-1 on the season. Each of Forbes' matches has been played against a nationally-ranked opponent.

Playing on Court 3 for the first time in her career, Vagramov once again was the decider. The sophomore handled Kumhom, 6-2, 6-1, for her second fourth point of the season and eighth of her brief career.

Goulak and Johnson split sets on Courts 5 and 6, respectively, forcing their matches into 10-point tiebreakers. Goulak was victorious against Savanna Ly-Nguyen in hers, 6-2, 2-6, 1-0(6), improving to 6-2 on the year. Johnson was bested by Ates, 6-3, 3-6, 1-0(6), giving WSU its only win of the day.

Altick did not let her match get to a third set, as she edged out Jittakoat in a second-set tiebreaker to complete a 6-0, 7-6(3) victory on Court 4. Altick, who had her first five matches left unfinished, is 2-1 in her last three.

UCLA will wrap up its conference road trip to the Pacific Northwest Sunday, when it pays Washington a visit. First serve from the Bill Quillian Tennis Center is set for 12 p.m., PT.

Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs Washington State
3/5/2021 at Pullman, WA
(WSU Outdoor Tennis Center)

#6 UCLA 6, #47 Washington State 1

Singles competition
1. #7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #55 Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) 6-1, 6-2
2. #19 Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Hikaru Sato (WSU) 6-1, 6-2
3. #113 Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Abi Altick (UCLA) def. Pang Jittakoat (WSU) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Savanna Ly-Nguyen (WSU) 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
6. Melisa Ates (WSU) def. Taylor Johnson (UCLA) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)

Doubles competition
1. Abbey Forbes/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Michaela Bayerlova/Hikaru Sato (WSU) 6-2
2. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Melisa Ates/Yang Lee (WSU) 6-2
3. Abi Altick/Taylor Johnson (UCLA) def. Pang Jittakoat/Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-2

Match Notes:
UCLA 7-2; National ranking #6
Washington State 5-5; National ranking #47
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,1,3,5,6,4)