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Women's Tennis Beats USC to Claim Outright Pac-12 Title

by uclabruins.com
Apr 19, 2024

LOS ANGELES – In a match that ultimately determined the outright Pac-12 women's tennis regular-season champion, 10th-ranked UCLA beat crosstown rival and No. 11 USC 4-2 Friday at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium. The Pac-12 title represents UCLA's third all time. The 2021 and 2008 Bruins also accomplished the feat.

Elise Wagle again provided the heroics for UCLA (17-4, 9-1 Pac-12). The junior, who clinched her team's 4-3 win at Pepperdine April 11, outlasted Eryn Cayetano 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to decide another victory. Wagle and Tian Fangran each prevailed twice, teaming up to clinch the doubles point. Ahmani Guichard was also triumphant for the Bruins in singles play. Emma Charney and Grace Piper were responsible for the Trojans' (17-7, 8-2) points.
 

No. 76 Kimmi Hance and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer of UCLA won their sixth consecutive match in convincing fashion on Court 2, posting a 6-1 result against Lily Fairclough and McKenna Koenig to start doubles play. Hance/Lutkemeyer posted a break of serve out of the gate and added two more. USC answered on Court 3, where No. 60 Piper and Parker Fry broke Guichard and Bianca Fernandez for 3-1 and rode that to a 6-3 victory. That left the initial point to be determined up top, where No. 17 Tian and Wagle took on No. 18 Cayetano and Charney. Six of eight games ended in breaks, with four going to the Bruins for a 6-2 decision.

The Trojans claimed four singles first sets. One was recorded by No. 54 Piper, who also held off No. 72 Fernandez in the second for a 6-2, 6-4 win on Court 3 that pulled her team level.

UCLA's two first sets quickly turned into straight-set victories and a 3-1 lead. No. 39 Tian bested No. 84 Han 6-3, 6-3 on Court 1 for her team-high sixth triumph over nationally-ranked foes. Guichard then held off Sloane Morra 6-2, 7-5 on Court 6, seizing her team-high-tying 17th singles win.

No. 34 Charney got the better of No. 21 Hance in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 result on Court 2. With the Court 5 contest also in a third set, Wagle took matters into her own hands. Eight days after being celebrated by her teammates at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif., she experienced it again – this time to seal the Pac-12 regular-season championship.

The 2024 Pac-12 Tennis Championships are scheduled for Wednesday, April 24-Saturday, April 27 at Weil Tennis Academy and Libbey Park in Ojai, Calif. UCLA will be the No. 1 seed when the bracket is released.

Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs USC
4/18/2024 at Los Angeles, CA
(David X. Marks Tennis Stadium)

#10 UCLA 4, #11 USC 2

Singles competition
1. #39 Tian Fangran (UCLA) def. #84 Snow Han (USC) 6-3, 6-3
2. #34 Emma Charney (USC) def. #21 Kimmi Hance (UCLA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
3. #54 Grace Piper (USC) def. #72 Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 6-2, 6-4
4. Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. #79 Eryn Cayetano (USC) 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
5. McKenna Koenig (USC) vs. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 3-2, unfinished
6. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) def. Sloane Morra (USC) 6-2, 7-5

Doubles competition
1. #17 Tian Fangran/Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. #18 Eryn Cayetano/Emma Charney (USC) 6-2
2. #76 Kimmi Hance/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Lily Fairclough/McKenna Koenig (USC) 6-1
3. #60 Parker Fry/Grace Piper (USC) def. Bianca Fernandez/Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-3

Match Notes
UCLA 17-4; National ranking #10
USC 17-7; National ranking #11
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,1,6,2,4)

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