Women's Tennis Claims Spot in Pac-12 Championships Final
SAN DIEGO – The top-seeded UCLA women's tennis team outlasted No. 4 seed Arizona State by a 4-2 score Sunday afternoon at Barnes Tennis Center, advancing to the final round of the Pac-12 Championships in the process.
UCLA (19-3) moves on to face third-seeded California (16-6), which upended four-time defending champion Stanford Sunday. The championship match is set for a 12 p.m., PT start Monday on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now App.
Vivian Wolff clinched the semifinal-round victory for the Bruins, prevailing in a second-set tiebreaker to decide it. Abbey Forbes and Annette Goulak also won on the singles courts. The regular-season conference champions seized the doubles point, only to have the Sun Devils (14-8) pull even at 2-2. Marianna Argyrokastriti and Lauryn John-Baptiste accounted for ASU's points.
The doubles match on Court 3 stayed on serve for the first three games, but Abi Altick and Elysia Bolton of UCLA quickly steered the match in their favor. They took the final five games from Tereza Kolarova and Giulia Morlet to set the tone. Forbes and Jada Hart then took the final six games on the top court against Ilze Hattingh and Lauryn John-Baptiste, cruising to a 6-1 point-clinching win.
Goulak, who was out of singles play for the quarterfinal-round match versus Washington State, returned to the lineup in convincing fashion Sunday. She bested Domenika Turkovic on Court 6, 6-3, 6-1, for her 10th singles win in a row and the second point of the match.
The Sun Devils responded with consecutive straight-set wins on Courts 3 and 5 to pull even. John-Baptiste snapped Bolton's unbeaten streak at seven with a 6-2, 6-2 victory on 3. Argyrokastriti continued the shift in momentum, knocking off Sasha Vagramov by a 6-2, 6-4 score to make it a three-match contest.
No. 8 Forbes topped Hattingh in a first-set tiebreaker before taking control down the stretch. The 7-6(5), 6-2 win got Forbes back in the win column after her match Saturday was left unfinished – a first for her this season. She now possesses an 18-1 singles record in 2021.
With No. 50 Hart locked in a close third set on Court 2, Wolff entered a second-set tiebreaker with a chance to seal the win. Morlet pulled even at 6-6, sending the players back to their chairs before Wolff managed to regroup and take the final two points. The winner came when a Morlet shot went long.
Tennis Match Results
Arizona State vs UCLA
4/25/2021 at San Diego, CA
(Barnes Tennis Center)
#5 UCLA 4, #33 Arizona State 2
Singles competition
1. #8 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. Ilze Hattingh (ASU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
2. #50 Jada Hart (UCLA) vs. Sammi Hampton (ASU) 6-2, 3-6, 3-3, unfinished
3. Lauryn John-Baptiste (ASU) def. Elysia Bolton (UCLA) 6-2, 6-2
4. Vivian Wolff (UCLA) def. Giulia Morlet (ASU) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
5. M. Argyrokastriti (ASU) def. Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) 6-2, 6-4
6. Annette Goulak (UCLA) def. Domenika Turkovic (ASU) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Abbey Forbes/Jada Hart (UCLA) def. Ilze Hattingh/Lauryn John-Baptiste (ASU) 6-1
2. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA) vs. M. Argyrokastriti/Sammi Hampton (ASU) 4-3, unfinished
3. Abi Altick/Elysia Bolton (UCLA) def. Tereza Kolarova/Giulia Morlet (ASU) 6-2
Match Notes:
Arizona State 14-8; National ranking #33
UCLA 19-3; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,3,5,1,4)