University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Shibahara Claims Singles Opener in Straight Sets
May 24, 2017 | Women's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. โ UCLA freshman Ena Shibahara registered a straight-set win over Texas A&M's Rutuja Bhosale in Wednesday's first round of the 2017 NCAA Division 1 Women's Tennis Singles Championship. The 6-4, 6-2 triumph qualified Shibahara for Thursday's second round, in which she will face Lauren Marker of Arizona. Doubles play will also begin Thursday, as the team of Shibahara and Jada Hart is scheduled to make its NCAA Championships debut.
Wednesday's opener featured a tightly-contested first set, as Bhosale broke the fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Shibahara to tie the opening frame at four games apiece. That marked a turning point for Shibahara, though, as the Palos Verdes, Calif. native countered with a break of her own en route to a 6-4 win to open.
The second set was much of the same for the recently-named ITA National Rookie of the Year, as Shibahara cruised to a 6-2 second set victory to advance. She will take on a familiar foe in the Wildcats' Marker, who Shibahara defeated in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4, last month (April 14).
Shibahara-Hart will face Hadley Berg and Paige Cline of South Carolina in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Doubles Championships, also Thursday. Each team is currently slotted among the top 25 teams in the Oracles/ITA rankings.
Stay connected to @uclawtennis on Twitter and NCAA.com for further updates.
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