UCLA
Oracle ITA Masters
Bolton Set to Debut at Oracle ITA Masters
September 17, 2018 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA women's tennis freshman Elysia Bolton will kick off the fall schedule Thursday at 2018 Oracle ITA Masters in Malibu, Calif. The event, consisting of men's singles, women's singles and mixed doubles tournaments, will be played at Pepperdine University and the Malibu Racquet Club through the weekend.
Bolton, who received one of three at-large bids on the women's side, was recently slotted at No. 3 in the preseason Oracle/ITA Freshmen/Newcomer rankings. The field is otherwise made up of a representative from each Division I conference, as well as an Oracle wild card. Six players from the initial singles rankings are part of the group. UCLA redshirt junior and 15th-ranked Jada Hart was a late scratch.
UCLA has had its share of success at Oracle ITA Masters, which is entering its fourth year. Junior Ena Shibahara won the singles title as a freshman in 2016, knocking off Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine in the final, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Shibahara returned in 2017, when her quest to repeat was nixed by North Carolina's Alle Sanford in a thriller of a final, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (11). The Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. native did not leave the tournament empty handed, though, as she teamed with USC's Brandon Holt for the mixed doubles championship, 8-1 over Samantha Harris (Duke) and Johannes Schretter (Baylor).
Pairs will be formed from the 64 total men's and women's players to fill out the 32-team doubles bracket. Where possible, representatives of the same conference will be teamed up.
Day 1 of competition will be comprised of the first and second rounds of doubles action, as well as first-round play on both men's and women's sides. A majority of the first day's matches will be played at Pepperdine, with six featured contests set for the Malibu Racquet Club. Consolation matches will be played on each side, guaranteeing each player at least two matches. For a complete schedule, CLICK HERE.
Bolton, a Blue-Chip prospect according to TennisRecruiting.net, made a run to the quarterfinal round at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships in both the singles and doubles competitions in Sept. 2017. She also reached the semifinals at the 2017 USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif., where she defeated two Top-100 opponents en route to a narrow three-set defeat that left her just short of the final of the Girls 18s singles competition.
Players Mentioned
