Top-Seeded Women's Tennis Beats Utah in Pac-12 Championships Opener
OJAI, Calif. – Elise Wagle posted her third clinching victory in four matches as the top-seeded UCLA women's tennis team beat No. 8-seed Utah 4-1 Thursday in Pac-12 Championships quarterfinal-round play at Weil Tennis Academy.
Joining Wagle in the winners circle were teammates Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Tian Fangran. Lutkemeyer also earned a doubles win for the Bruins (18-4), who logged the day's final three points. Kat Lyman momentarily pulled the Utes (12-11) even with a singles victory.
The combination of Lutkemeyer and Kimmi Hance, which went 11-1 during the regular season, continued to find success in postseason play. The pair closed strong on Court 2, seizing the final three games against Sara Akid and Emma Kamper for a 6-3 decision.
Another 6-3 result came on Court 3, where Ahmani Guichard and Sasha Vagramov also took the last three games versus Yuhan Liu and Kat Lyman to clinch the doubles point. Guichard and Vagramov were playing together for the first time since March 15.
First set wins were split evenly. Utah tied the score with Lyman's 6-2, 6-1 showing against No. 65 Bianca Fernandez on Court 3. The ensuing decisions all went the way of UCLA, however.
Lutkemeyer soon followed by taking down Kamper in a 6-0, 6-2 display on Court 5. Each of Lutkemeyer's 11 dual-match singles victories in 2024 has been paired with a positive doubles result.
No. 35 Tian rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 win versus Liu on the top court. Tian has turned in three straight-set victories in as many contests.
Finally, Wagle delivered the deciding point once again. In the past two weeks, the junior has clinched road team wins against Pepperdine and USC, as well as Thursday's neutral-site triumph. She bested Kaila Barksdale 6-0, 6-4 on Court 4 in the latest one.
The Bruins meet fourth-seeded California in Friday's semifinal round at 12 p.m. PT. The Golden Bears downed Arizona State 5-0 Thursday.
Tennis Match Results
Utah vs UCLA
4/25/2024 at Ojai, CA
(Weil Tennis Academy)
#8 UCLA 4, #53 Utah 1
Singles competition
1. #35 Tian Fangran (UCLA) def. Yuhan Liu (UTAH) 6-2, 6-1
2. #25 Kimmi Hance (UCLA) vs. Marcela Lopez (UTAH) 1-6, 6-6 (5-1), unfinished
3. Kat Lyman (UTAH) def. #65 Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 6-2, 6-1
4. Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. Kaila Barksdale (UTAH) 6-0, 6-4
5. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Emma Kamper (UTAH) 6-0, 6-2
6. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) vs. Sara Akid (UTAH) 4-6, 6-1, 0-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #14 Tian Fangran/Elise Wagle (UCLA) vs. #63 Ana Luiza Cruz/Marcela Lopez (UTAH) 2-5, unfinished
2. #50 Kimmi Hance/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Sara Akid/Emma Kamper (UTAH) 6-3
3. Ahmani Guichard/Sasha Vagramov (UCLA) def. Yuhan Liu/Kat Lyman (UTAH) 6-3
Match Notes:
Utah 12-11; National ranking #53
UCLA 18-4; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,5,1,4)
Pac-12 Championships - Quarterfinal Round