UCLA
Washington
No. 20 Women's Tennis Set to Start Postseason in Ojai
April 26, 2023 | Women's Tennis
The 20th-ranked UCLA women's tennis team enters postseason play Thursday, when it kicks off the first full day of Pac-12 Championships action in Ojai, Calif. with a morning match against Washington. First serve between the fifth-seeded Bruins (13-6, 6-4 Pac-12) and No. 4-seed Huskies (16-7, 6-4) is set for 9 a.m. PT at Ojai Valley Athletic Club. The teams met once previously, with UW prevailing 4-3 in the teams' conference opener. UCLA closed the regular season with seven wins in its final eight contests. Matches continue through Saturday's final, which will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
2023 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wednesday, April 26
Match 1: #8 Utah vs. #9 Arizona 9 a.m.
Match 2: #7 Oregon vs. #10 Colorado 12 p.m.
Match 3: #6 USC vs. #11 Washington State 3 p.m.
Thursday, April 27
Match 4: #4 Washington vs. #5 UCLA 9 a.m.
Match 5: #1 Stanford vs. Winner Match 1 12 p.m.
Match 6: #2 California vs. Winner Match 2 3 p.m.
Match 7: #3 Arizona State vs. Winner Match 3 6 p.m.
Friday, April 28
Match 8: Winner Match 4 vs. Winner Match 5 12 p.m.
Match 9: Winner Match 6 vs. Winner Match 7 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 29
Match 10: Winner Match 8 vs. Winner Match 9 3 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
On a day that saw UCLA honor two seniors before its regular-season finale, it was a sophomore who provided the heroics in a 4-3 victory against USC April 21 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. The No. 19 Bruins closed the regular season on a four-match winning streak and prevailed in seven of their final eight. Kimmi Hance was the last player standing as UCLA pushed past its crosstown rival in Pac-12 action. Also triumphant in singles play for the Bruins were Fangran Tian and Elise Wagle. All three had two-win days as UCLA also pocketed the doubles point. The Trojans made up a 3-1 deficit when Sloane Morra and Grace Piper followed Emma Charney's early victory, but they would never take the lead.
UCLA AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
UCLA is in search of its first title at the Pac-12 Championships since the team format was adopted in 2017. The Bruins were finalists in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The 2020 event was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, second-seeded UCLA got off to a strong start in its Pac-12 Championships semifinal-round match, but was overcome by No. 3-seed Stanford for a 4-1 result at Ojai (Calif.) Valley Athletic Club. The Bruins seized the doubles point without a loss and grabbed three singles first sets, but the Cardinal charged back to record four singles wins without a loss. Valencia Xu clinched the victory for Stanford, which went on to defeat fifth-seeded Arizona State in the championship match.
HANCE NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Kimmi Hance was selected Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of April 17-23, the conference announced Tuesday. Hance and the Bruins ended the regular season with a bang, outlasting USC 4-3 while overtaking their crosstown rival in the Pac-12 standings entering postseason play. Hance was the last player standing in the April 21 win, coming all the way back to defeat Snow Han 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and set off a celebration on Court 2. Hance and partner Elise Wagle also clinched the doubles point against the Trojans, beating the 39th-ranked combination of Han and Naomi Cheong 6-3 on the top court while extending their winning stream to seven. Earlier in the week, Hance was again victorious on the singles and doubles courts, completing her day with a 6-3, 6-2 result over Kelly Leung of UC San Diego on Court 1 (April 18). With UCLA's 5-2 win versus the Tritons, head coach Stella Sampras Webster secured the 500th victory of her illustrious career. The Bruins won seven of their final eight regular-season matches. The Pac-12 Player of the Week honor represents the second of Hance's career and season (March 13-19). The Bruins collected a league-best four of the awards in 2023, with Fangran Tian (April 10-16) and Sasha Vagramov (March 6-12) also each receiving acclaim. UCLA now has 40 all-time weekly accolades from the conference and is the only program with more than three this season.
SAMPRAS WEBSTER JOINS 500 CLUB
Heach coach Stella Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego 5-2 April 18. In her 27th season at the helm of the UCLA women's tennis program, Sampras Webster has compiled an impressive overall record of 501-184 (.731). She is the second-longest-tenured active coach at UCLA, behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin. Sampras Webster has guided her alma mater to NCAA championships in 2008 and 2014, the first two in program history. Her teams have finished top-10 nationally in 21 of her 25 completed seasons and in the top five 15 times. Three doubles pairs have won NCAA titles under Sampras Webster's tutelage, most recently Gabby Andrews and Ayan Broomfield in 2019.
TAMING THE TOP FIVE
With its 4-3 home victory against No. 5 Pepperdine April 12, UCLA has now twice prevailed in contests with teams ranked in the ITA's top five during 2023 dual-match play. The Bruins also beat then-No. 4 Ohio State by a 4-3 score at Los Angeles Tennis Center exactly one month earlier. Sasha Vagramov was the last player standing versus the Buckeyes, while Fangran Tian provided the heroics to help knock off the Waves. Wins opposite two top-five teams during the same season had most recently happened for UCLA in 2015, when Stella Sampras Webster's Bruins earned 4-3 wins against No. 3 USC (March 4) and at No. 4 Baylor (March 7) in back-to-back matches.
TO A TI-AN
Fangran Tian has recorded wins in 15 straight singles decisions to start her dual-match career. The freshman from Beijing, China has had two matches left unfinished. Of those wins, seven have come against nationally-ranked players: No. 8 Madison Sieg of USC (6-4, 6-3 on April 21), No. 11 Janice Tjen of Pepperdine (7-6[1], 6-7[6], 6-3 on April 12), No. 28 Angelica Blake of Stanford (6-1, 1-6, 6-4 on March 26), No. 4 Sieg (6-3, 1-0, retired on March 16), No. 20 Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State (6-4, 3-6, 6-1 on March 12), No. 100 Hikaru Sato of Washington (4-6, 6-4, 6-3 on March 3) and No. 57 Thasaporn Naklo of Iowa State (6-1, 6-2 on Jan. 28). Dating back to fall action, Tian is 23-5 in singles play with a 11-4 mark opposite nationally-ranked foes.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA holds the No. 20 spot in the most recent ITA Computerized Team Rankings, released Tuesday. The latest ITA National Singles and Doubles Rankings came out the same day and feature three Bruins. Leading the way on the singles list is Fangran Tian, who climbed to a career-high No. 14 after defeating No. 8 Madison Sieg of USC for the second time. Kimmi Hance, meanwhile, is listed at No. 115. The tandem of Hance and Elise Wagle rose to No. 4 for doubles โ a career high for each โ thanks in part to its ITA Southwest Regional Championships title run. The pair beat current No. 1 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen of Pepperdine in the final. Hance and Wagle also knocked off Broadus and Tjen in dual-match play (April 12).
CLINCH WATCH
Fangran Tian (at Oregon, Pepperdine, Utah, vs. Rice) has clinched four wins in 2023 dual-match play to lead UCLA. Ava Catanzarite (at Arizona, Loyola Marymount), Kimmi Hance (USC, Colorado) and Sasha Vagramov (UC San Diego, Ohio State) are next, with two deciding victories apiece. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (CSUN), Vanessa Ong (at USC) and Elise Wagle (at Washington State) have each secured the fourth point once this year.
TIAN VOTED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR APRIL 10-16
Fangran Tian was voted Pac-12 Player of the Week for April 10-16, the conference announced April 18. Tian added another chapter to her already remarkable debut season, defeating No. 11 Janice Tjen 7-6(1), 6-7(6), 6-3 to secure a 4-3 win for the Bruins victory fifth-ranked Pepperdine at Los Angeles Tennis Center on April 12. The non-conference match took over four hours to complete. Two days later, Tian bested Sophie Luescher 6-4, 6-1 โ again in clinching fashion โ as UCLA returned to Pac-12 play with a 4-0 victory at Oregon. Tian also collaborated with fellow freshman Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer on two doubles wins for an unblemished week. Tian finished the week a winner of 14 consecutive singles decisions and seven straight doubles matches. The victory against the Ducks marked the Bruins' fifth in six contests. The Pac-12 Player of the Week award represents the first of Tian's career.
HANCE NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR MARCH 13-19
Kimmi Hance was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of March 13-19, the conference announced March 21. The visiting Bruins defeated crosstown rival USC 4-1 (March 16) thanks in large part to Hance's wins against nationally-ranked opponents on the doubles and singles courts. The sophomore combination of Hance and Elise Wagle made a statement out of the gate in doubles play, giving UCLA a leg up with their 6-2 display versus the 24th-ranked pair of Naomi Cheong and Snow Han on the top court. Hance then dispatched of No. 61 Han 6-2, 6-3 on the second singles court, extending the Bruins' lead to 3-1. The team victory marked UCLA's third in a row and fifth in six tries.
VAGRAMOV TABBED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR MARCH 6-12
On the heels of her team's 4-3 victory against No. 4 Ohio State, Sasha Vagramov was named Pac-12 Player of the Week in an announcement by the conference March 14. The award was presented for the week of March 6-12. Vagramov was on court as the Bruins secured the first and final points of their thrilling 4-3 victory against the Buckeyes Sunday at Los Angeles Tennis Center. With all eyes on the fourth singles court, the senior won a deuce point to lift her past Isabelle Boulais for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 result and set off a celebration. Vagramov also paired with Vanessa Ong to defeat Kolie Allen and Danielle Willson 6-4 on Court 3, clinching the doubles point. Vagramov was previously voted Pac-12 Player of the Week Feb. 11, 2020.
FALL RECAP
Bruins made appearances at six events, including two national ones, during the fall. There were two championship performances, as Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle teamed to win the ITA Southwest Regional Championships doubles title in San Diego, while the combination of Vanessa Ong and Sasha Vagramov took the Dennis Rizza Classic top prize in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, who was the top singles performer at the Women of Troy Invitational, collected a team-high 11 singles wins. Hance, Ava Catanzarite and Fangran Tian each beat three nationally-ranked opponents. Hance also made the singles final round at the ITA Southwest Regionals.
2021-22 IN REVIEW
The 2021-22 UCLA women's tennis team went 13-7, finishing second in the Pac-12 with a 7-1 record. The Bruins advanced past Arkansas in the NCAA Championships first round, but were outlasted by host Oklahoma State in a 4-2 second-round decision. Elysia Bolton and Abbey Forbes qualified for the NCAA singles draw, while the duo of Bolton and Elise Wagle made the doubles draw. Bolton advanced to the singles second round. Forbes (First Team), Bolton (Second Team) and Kimmi Hance (Honorable Mention) received All-Conference honors from the Pac-12. Forbes was also tabbed the ITA Southwest Region's recipient of the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship award.
WHO'S NEW?
Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Fangran Tian make up UCLA's freshman class. Lutkemeyer (Irvine, Calif.), a Blue Chip recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net, was the No. 1 player in her class during 2020 and 2021. She took the singles championship at the 2021 PTT Newport Beach, Calif. Women's $25K Hard 2 event. On the junior level, Lutkemeyer collected the Girls' 16 singles crown at the 2018 USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, Calif. Tian (Beijing, China) won the Girls' singles title at the 2019 Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-Off event, earning wild-card entry into the 2020 Australian Open Junior Championships. She also earned a spot in the 2019 Roland-Garros Junior Championships singles draw.
BRUINS ON TOUR
Ena Shibahara earned her first Grand Slam championship in 2022, teaming with Wesley Koolhof to seize the mixed doubles title at Roland-Garros. She also recently made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022. Catherine Harrison also had a standout 2022, making her Grand Slam singles and doubles debuts. She advanced through singles qualifying at Wimbledon and continued her success with a first-round win. Harrison and partner Ulrikke Eikeri made a doubles second-round appearance at Roland-Garros and the pair went on to accomplish the same feat at Wimbledon and the US Open. Harrison also collected her first WTA title last year, partnering with Sabrina Santamaria to prevail at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. The following Bruins in the professional ranks achieved career-high WTA rankings in 2022: Robin Anderson (No. 137 singles and 181 doubles), Harrison (214 singles and 69 doubles), Elysia Bolton (230 doubles), Chanelle van Nguyen (350 singles) and Jada Hart (489 doubles).
Players Mentioned
