University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Kramer Classic
Altick's Run Ends in Kramer Club Invite Final
November 05, 2017 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA women's tennis completed its fall schedule Sunday at two Southern California tournaments. The Bruins sent four players to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Palm Desert, Calif., as well as five others to the Jack Kramer Club Collegiate Invitational. A final-round appearance was among the performances in the Bruins' final action of the fall.
Oracle ITA National Fall ChampionshipsA new addition to the fall lineup of events was the Oracle National Fall Championships in Palm Desert, Calif. The draw featured the season's top performers based on results from earlier fall tournaments. With 5-2 records and high preseason ITA singles rankings, No. 1 Ena Shibahara and No. 52 Ayan Broomfield represented UCLA in singles. Following their ITA Southwest Regional doubles title, Gabby Andrews and Jada Hart were also selected to the doubles field.
In singles action, Broomfield immediately faced one of the tournament's best in sixth-seeded Katarina Jokic of Georgia. The Bulldog quickly dispatch the Clemson transfer in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. Shibahara, seeded No. 4, needed three sets, but took care of TCU's Aleksandra Zenovka in her first-round match, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5).
Shibahara ran into one of the tournament's surprises, Bianca Turati of Texas, in the second round. Turati, who was unseeded, ousted the Bruin sophomore, 7-6 (4), 6-2, before winning twice more to reach the semifinals.
Broomfield went on to compete in the consolation bracket, where she fell to Chiara Lommer of Michigan, 7-5, 6-2.
The duo of Andrews and Hart pulled off a big upset to begin its time in the desert. Confronted with second-seeded Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federico of Texas Tech, the Bruins came out victorious in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. The pair's run would end one round later against the familiar faces of Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon of Stanford. Not only would the unseeded Stanford pair defeat the Bruins, but every other team it faced en route to the doubles title.
Jack Kramer Club Collegiate InvitationalFive Bruins competed at the Jack Kramer Club Collegiate Invitationalโand each player recorded at least one win at the Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. tournament. Terri Fleming went into the singles tournament seeded third, while Abi Altick and Alaina Miller each held a No. 5 seed. Kristin Wiley was not seeded. Third-seeded Altick-Fleming also played doubles, while Miller joined with freshman Sophie Bendetti, who did not play singles.
Though unseeded, that did not stop Wiley from putting an impressive performance on display against Hermehr Kaur of BYU in the singles tournament. Wiley dropped the first set against Kaur, but powered back to advance, 5-7, 6-3, 10-6. Her run would end one round later against fifth-seeded Palina Dubevets (7-6, 7-6) of UC Santa Barbara, who ultimately reached the semifinals.
In other Round of 32 play, Miller defeated Stephanie Yamada of UC Santa Barbara, 7-6, 6-2, while Fleming beat Taylah Beckman of BYU, 6-2, 6-4. Altick squared off with Constance Branstine of USC, who was no match for the Bruin freshman, 6-2, 6-0.
Miller and Fleming would each fall in the Round of 16. Miller dropped a straight-set decision to Daniela Nasser of Oregon, 6-3, 6-1, while Fleming ran into Vanessa Wong of Washington. Wong defeated the Bruin senior in straights, 6-1, 6-3. Altick, meanwhile, kept advancing. The Monroe, La. native defeated Kenadi Hance of Washinton, 6-4, 6-4, to set up a showdown with second-seeded Dzina Milovanovic of Pepperdine.
Altick kept going despite the seed difference and a high-pressure match that came down to the wire, knocking off Milovanovic, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. Then, in a matchup of No. 5 seeds, Altick proved too much for Dubavets, winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
The Bruin freshman's impressive run would end in the final against Wong, who had to endure her second three-set match of the tournament against Altick. Needing the tiebreaking third set, Wong captured the title, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
In doubles, Altick-Fleming won matches against Tia Elpusan and Kaur of BYU (8-0), as well as Amanda Atanasson and Yamada of UC Santa Barbara (8-3). That would be it, though, as the UC Santa Barbara tandem of Dubavets and Elizaveta Volodko edged the Bruins in the semifinals, 8-7. Bendetti and Miller would win one match, knocking off Brastine and Alexa Corcoleotes of USC (8-2) before falling to the Northwestern team of Julie Byrne and Rheeya Doshi, 8-7, 7-1.
Players Mentioned
