Women's Tennis Freshmen Advance to NCAA Doubles Semifinals

Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (Photo: Neela Piper)

Olivia Center (left) and Kate Fakih (Photo: Neela Piper)

Women's Tennis Freshmen Advance to NCAA Doubles Semifinals

November 22, 2024 | Women's Tennis

WACO, Texas – Freshmen Olivia Center and Kate Fakih of the UCLA women's tennis team collaborated on another NCAA Championships doubles win Friday, advancing to the semifinal round at Hurd Tennis Center.

The UCLA duo knocked off the second-seeded pair of NC State's Gabriella Broadfoot and Maddy Zampardo in a 6-2, 7-6(5) decision. A matchup with Auburn's DJ Bennett and Ava Hrastar awaits them Saturday in the semifinal round. The 18th-ranked Tigers defeated Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual of TCU 4-6, 6-4, 1-0(7) Thursday, beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. PT.

Against Broadfoot and Zampardo, Center and Fakih earned breaks of serve for 2-1 and 5-2 in the first set. The Bruins served holding three match points and a 5-4 game advantage in the second, but their Wolfpack counterparts answered. A back-and-forth tiebreaker saw Broadfoot and Zampardo take a 5-4 lead, but the final three points – and victory – went the way of Center and Fakih.