Women's Tennis Posts Shutout to Start Pac-12 Championships
SAN DIEGO – The top-seeded UCLA women's tennis team put on a commanding performance in its 2021 Pac-12 Championships debut, defeating No. 8 seed Washington State by a 4-0 score Saturday at Barnes Tennis Center.
The Bruins (18-3) controlled the quarterfinal-round match from wire to wire, never dropping as much as a set. Elysia Bolton, who had a hand in securing the doubles point, clinched the team victory over the Cougars (14-16). Sasha Vagramov and Vivian Wolff also prevailed in singles play.
UCLA advances to Sunday's semifinal round and a matchup with fourth-seeded Arizona State, which dealt No. 5 seed USC a 4-3 loss Saturday. The Bruins and Sun Devils are set for a 12 p.m., PT start.
Annette Goulak and Vivian Wolff made quick work of Michaela Bayerlova and Yang Lee on Court 2 to give UCLA an edge in doubles play. Goulak and Wolff rolled to a 6-0 victory to run their winning streak to six matches. They are 16-2 for the season. Then, facing a deuce point and potential 5-5 score, Elysia Bolton and Vanessa Ong seized the first point. Playing together for the first time, the Bruins outlasted Pang Jittakoat and Fifa Kumhom, 6-4, on Court 3.
UCLA earned a sweep of the singles first sets to close in on its semifinal-round berth.
Vagramov made her Pac-12 Championships debut with a 6-2, 6-2 performance against Jittakoat on Court 5. The third win in four tries for Vagramov extended the Bruins' lead to 2-0.
Next off was Wolff, who is also taking part in her first Pac-12 tournament. On Court 4, the Georgia transfer dispatched of Savanna Ly Nguyen by a 6-4, 6-0 score to complete a perfect individual day and put UCLA one point away from the overall win.
Moments after Wolff finished her match, Bolton contributed the decider. Since returning to the singles lineup April 9, Bolton has triumphed in each of her five contests. The latest was a 6-2, 6-2 result over Kumhom on Court 3.
The Bruins have now logged 10 wins in a row.
Tennis Match Results
Washington State vs UCLA
4/24/2021 at San Diego, CA
(Barnes Tennis Center)
#5 UCLA 4, Washington State 0
Singles competition
1. #8 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) vs. #78 Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
2. #50 Jada Hart (UCLA) vs. Hikaru Sato (WSU) 6-4, 4-0, unfinished
3. Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Savanna Ly-Nguyen (WSU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Pang Jittakoat (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Vanessa Ong (UCLA) vs. Melisa Ates (WSU) 6-3, 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Abbey Forbes/Jada Hart (UCLA) vs. Melisa Ates/Hikaru Sato (WSU) 4-4, unfinished
2. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Michaela Bayerlova/Yang Lee (WSU) 6-0
3. Elysia Bolton/Vanessa Ong (UCLA) def. Pang Jittakoat/Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Washington State 14-16
UCLA 18-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,4,3)