UCLA
Oracle ITA Masters
Shibahara Set to Defend Oracle ITA Masters Crown
September 21, 2017 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES -- Nine days after being slotted first in the Oracle/ITA Preseason National Singles Rankings, UCLA sophomore Ena Shibahara will begin defense of her title at Oracle ITA Masters in Malibu, Calif. In addition to being the top seed in the singles competition, Shibahara will join USC's Brandon Holt atop the mixed doubles bracket. Action from the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine University commences Thursday and will continue through Sunday.
Shibahara will begin singles play at Pepperdine Thursday when she squares off against 32nd-seeded Jennifer Lu of Quinnipiac at 9:15 a.m. PT. As a freshman last October, Shibahara rode a No. 2 seeding into the final, where she upended top-seeded Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. In last year's semifinal, Shibahara knocked off North Carolina's Sara Daavetilla, who returns to Oracle ITA Masters as the next-highest-ranked player in the nation at No. 4.
Alongside Holt, Shibahara will also see Luโand Marist's Javier Restrepoโin the opening round of the mixed doubles contest. An 8:00 a.m. first serve will begin the day of competition. The all-UCLA duo of Shibahara and Bruin Martin Redlicki, seeded No. 2 in the 2016 competition, won its first two matches before falling to eventual finalist Blair Shankle-Max Tchoutakian of Baylor.
For more draw information from the Malibu Racquet Club and Pepperdine, visit the Oracle ITA Masters EVENT PAGE. Live scoring for all matches will be available HERE, while LIVE STREAMING from the Malibu Racquet Club will also be provided. Stay connected to UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) on Twitter for any additional updates.
Players Mentioned
