University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bianca Fernandez
Photo by: Hritika Chaturvedi
No. 18 Women's Tennis Hosts No. 14 California Monday
February 15, 2024 | Women's Tennis
MATCH INFORMATION
Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 19/1:30 PM PT
Live Stream: https://ucla.in/3R2WTGN
Live Stats: https://ucla.in/3R2WTGN
Series vs. California: UCLA leads 50-38
Last Meeting vs. CAL: California won 5-2 on March 25, 2023
THIS WEEK
No. 18 UCLA takes on a top-20 team for the third consecutive match and fifth time in six season-opening contests when it welcomes No. 14 California to Los Angeles Tennis Center Monday. The non-conference match is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins (2-3) suffered a road loss against then-No. 12 Ohio State in its most recent match (Feb. 4). The Golden Bears (3-2) visit San Diego State Sunday for the first of back-to-back Southern California showdowns.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA women's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scores and live video will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
Playing away from home for the fourth consecutive match, 13th-ranked UCLA came out on the wrong end of a 4-0 result against No. 12 Ohio State at Ty Tucker Tennis Center Feb. 4. Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer teamed to pick up a doubles win for the Bruins, who nearly added a singles victory from Kimmi Hance before the decision was clinched. Shelly Bereznyak sealed the win for the Buckeyes following triumphant singles efforts by Irina Cantos Siemers and Luciana Perry.
UCLA VS. CALIFORNIA
UCLA holds an all-time record of 50-38 versus California. The Bruins dropped a 5-2 conference result against the Golden Bears in the programs' most recent meeting, convened March 25, 2023 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA got singles victories from Tian Fangran and Elise Wagle after the decision was made. Jessica Alsola of Cal clinched the overall win. Alsola and teammate Katja Wiersholm were victorious on the singles and doubles courts.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
California is ranked 14th nationally by the ITA, holding a record of 3-2. The Golden Bears currently have six singles players ranked: No. 19 Katja Wiersholm, No. 21 Hannah Viller Moeller, No. 22 Jessica Alsola, No. 51 Valentina Ivanov, No. 71 Lan Mi and No. 105 Berta Passola Folch. Their doubles pair of Viller Moeller/Mao Mushika is ranked 16th.
TIAN TABBED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 15-21
Tian Fangran was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 15-21, the conference announced Tuesday. Tian and the 16th-ranked Bruins defended their home court against No. 6 Texas Jan. 19, posting a 5-2 season-opening victory. The win was UCLA's fourth against a top-10 team โ without a loss โ since the start of the 2023 campaign. The defending NCAA singles champion made her presence felt first in doubles play, teaming with Bianca Fernandez to overcome a 3-5 deficit in the deciding match versus Malaika Rapolu and Tanya Sasnouskaya. The Court 2 contest ended in a tiebreaker, which Tian/Fernandez controlled by a 7-2 margin. In singles action, Tian remained undefeated on Los Angeles Tennis Center's top court, beating Sabina Zeynalova 7-6(6), 6-4.
FALL RECAP
Bruins appeared at three tournaments during the fall. Freshman Ahmani Guichard made her debut on a national scale, logging two of her team-high six fall singles wins at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle each recorded three singles victories at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego. Guichard and Lutkemeyer teamed to collect two wins at ITA Regionals and added another during Thunderbird Invitational play in Tempe, Ariz. Guichard added two more singles wins in the desert.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA is No. 18 in the latest ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll, released Feb. 14. With four wins against nationally-ranked opponents to her name, Bianca Fernandez made her debut in the Feb. 7 singles rankings. She is No. 81. Elise Wagle also made her first career appearance on the singles list, at No. 113. She is 2-0 versus ranked foes.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
The 2022-23 UCLA women's tennis team advanced to the super-regional round of the NCAA Championships, upsetting host and No. 6-seed Duke to get there. The Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Sasha Vagramov provided the heroics with all eyes on her court. UCLA went 15-8 for the season. Kimmi Hance (doubles), Tian Fangran (singles) and Elise Wagle (doubles) each received All-America recognition. Hance and Wagle qualified for the NCAA doubles draw, while Tian claimed the second NCAA singles title in program history. Tian was also a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and voted ITA Rookie of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Hance and Wagle made up the Pac-12's Doubles Team of the Year. Tian earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, Hance made the Second Team and Wagle was an Honorable Mention pick.
T IS FOR TITLE
Freshman Tian Fangran completed a sparkling run through the 2023 NCAA Championships singles tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., defeating Layne Sleeth of Oklahoma 6-4, 6-2 for the second NCAA singles title in program history. The No. 9-16-seeded Tian joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Keri Phebus as the only Bruins to lift the trophy at the season-ending event. En route to the title, Tian won six matches without dropping a single set. She completed her debut college season with a singles record of 30-7, including a 17-6 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The NCAA singles championship represents the first in the career of head coach Stella Sampras Webster, who was on staff as an assistant coach under Bill Zaima when Phebus collected hers.
WHO'S NEW?
Freshmen Bianca Fernandez (Montreal, QC, Canada/International Virtual Learning Academy), Ahmani Guichard (Seminole, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Mia Jovic (Torrance, Calif./South HS) joined the Bruins in 2023-24. Fernandez, a veteran of ITF events who earned her first WTA points at the age of 15, reached the doubles second round alongside her sister and partner Leylah Fernandez at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto. Guichard, regarded as a Blue Chip prospect by TennisRecruiting.net, reached the singles second round at the 2022 US Open Junior Championships and also earned berths into the 2023 Australian Open Junior Championships and 2022 Roland-Garros Junior Championships. Jovic helped her high school to four consecutive CIF Southern Section Championships appearances and captured the Pioneer League singles title in 2019.
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 made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara/Aoyama was the last pair standing at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, giving each player her second WTA 1000 championship. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022 and entered 2024 at No. 14. Catherine Harrison also had a standout 2022, competing at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached the singles second round at the All England Club and earned a main-draw win in doubles at each event. Harrison added the Australian Open to her résumé in 2023 and made a return trip earlier this year. She also collected her first WTA title in 2022, partnering with Sabrina Santamaria to prevail at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. Harrison posted career-high WTA rankings of 214 singles and 69 doubles in 2022. Robin Anderson also had a stellar 2022, making career-high appearances of 137 singles and 181 doubles. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2022 Australian Open. Jennifer Brady, who achieved the highest singles ranking of any former UCLA standout when she climbed to No. 13 in 2021, is No. 96 on the current doubles list. Elysia Bolton (167) and Jada Hart (296) earned the highest doubles rankings of their careers thus far in 2023.
STELLA'S STERLING RÉSUMÉ
Head coach Stella Sampras Webster is in her 28th season at the helm of the UCLA women's tennis program, compiling an impressive overall record of 505-190 (.727). She is the second-longest-tenured active coach at UCLA, behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin. Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego on April 18, 2023. She has guided her alma mater to NCAA championships in 2008 and 2014, the first two in program history. Sampras Webster's teams have finished top-10 nationally in 22 of her 26 completed seasons and in the top five 15 times. Four NCAA individual championships have been won under her watch: Tian Fangran in 2023, Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield in 2019, Tracy Lin/Riza Zalameda in 2008 and Daniela Bercek/Lauren Fisher in 2004.
Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 19/1:30 PM PT
Live Stream: https://ucla.in/3R2WTGN
Live Stats: https://ucla.in/3R2WTGN
Series vs. California: UCLA leads 50-38
Last Meeting vs. CAL: California won 5-2 on March 25, 2023
THIS WEEK
No. 18 UCLA takes on a top-20 team for the third consecutive match and fifth time in six season-opening contests when it welcomes No. 14 California to Los Angeles Tennis Center Monday. The non-conference match is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. PT. The Bruins (2-3) suffered a road loss against then-No. 12 Ohio State in its most recent match (Feb. 4). The Golden Bears (3-2) visit San Diego State Sunday for the first of back-to-back Southern California showdowns.
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans unable to attend home UCLA women's tennis matches in person can still follow live. Point-by-point scores and live video will be available for all matches played at Los Angeles Tennis Center HERE.
LAST TIME OUT
Playing away from home for the fourth consecutive match, 13th-ranked UCLA came out on the wrong end of a 4-0 result against No. 12 Ohio State at Ty Tucker Tennis Center Feb. 4. Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer teamed to pick up a doubles win for the Bruins, who nearly added a singles victory from Kimmi Hance before the decision was clinched. Shelly Bereznyak sealed the win for the Buckeyes following triumphant singles efforts by Irina Cantos Siemers and Luciana Perry.
UCLA VS. CALIFORNIA
UCLA holds an all-time record of 50-38 versus California. The Bruins dropped a 5-2 conference result against the Golden Bears in the programs' most recent meeting, convened March 25, 2023 at Los Angeles Tennis Center. UCLA got singles victories from Tian Fangran and Elise Wagle after the decision was made. Jessica Alsola of Cal clinched the overall win. Alsola and teammate Katja Wiersholm were victorious on the singles and doubles courts.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
California is ranked 14th nationally by the ITA, holding a record of 3-2. The Golden Bears currently have six singles players ranked: No. 19 Katja Wiersholm, No. 21 Hannah Viller Moeller, No. 22 Jessica Alsola, No. 51 Valentina Ivanov, No. 71 Lan Mi and No. 105 Berta Passola Folch. Their doubles pair of Viller Moeller/Mao Mushika is ranked 16th.
TIAN TABBED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR JAN. 15-21
Tian Fangran was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 15-21, the conference announced Tuesday. Tian and the 16th-ranked Bruins defended their home court against No. 6 Texas Jan. 19, posting a 5-2 season-opening victory. The win was UCLA's fourth against a top-10 team โ without a loss โ since the start of the 2023 campaign. The defending NCAA singles champion made her presence felt first in doubles play, teaming with Bianca Fernandez to overcome a 3-5 deficit in the deciding match versus Malaika Rapolu and Tanya Sasnouskaya. The Court 2 contest ended in a tiebreaker, which Tian/Fernandez controlled by a 7-2 margin. In singles action, Tian remained undefeated on Los Angeles Tennis Center's top court, beating Sabina Zeynalova 7-6(6), 6-4.
FALL RECAP
Bruins appeared at three tournaments during the fall. Freshman Ahmani Guichard made her debut on a national scale, logging two of her team-high six fall singles wins at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and Elise Wagle each recorded three singles victories at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego. Guichard and Lutkemeyer teamed to collect two wins at ITA Regionals and added another during Thunderbird Invitational play in Tempe, Ariz. Guichard added two more singles wins in the desert.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA is No. 18 in the latest ITA Top 25 Coaches Poll, released Feb. 14. With four wins against nationally-ranked opponents to her name, Bianca Fernandez made her debut in the Feb. 7 singles rankings. She is No. 81. Elise Wagle also made her first career appearance on the singles list, at No. 113. She is 2-0 versus ranked foes.
2022-23 IN REVIEW
The 2022-23 UCLA women's tennis team advanced to the super-regional round of the NCAA Championships, upsetting host and No. 6-seed Duke to get there. The Bruins rallied from a 3-1 deficit and Sasha Vagramov provided the heroics with all eyes on her court. UCLA went 15-8 for the season. Kimmi Hance (doubles), Tian Fangran (singles) and Elise Wagle (doubles) each received All-America recognition. Hance and Wagle qualified for the NCAA doubles draw, while Tian claimed the second NCAA singles title in program history. Tian was also a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and voted ITA Rookie of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year. Hance and Wagle made up the Pac-12's Doubles Team of the Year. Tian earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, Hance made the Second Team and Wagle was an Honorable Mention pick.
T IS FOR TITLE
Freshman Tian Fangran completed a sparkling run through the 2023 NCAA Championships singles tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., defeating Layne Sleeth of Oklahoma 6-4, 6-2 for the second NCAA singles title in program history. The No. 9-16-seeded Tian joined UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Keri Phebus as the only Bruins to lift the trophy at the season-ending event. En route to the title, Tian won six matches without dropping a single set. She completed her debut college season with a singles record of 30-7, including a 17-6 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The NCAA singles championship represents the first in the career of head coach Stella Sampras Webster, who was on staff as an assistant coach under Bill Zaima when Phebus collected hers.
WHO'S NEW?
Freshmen Bianca Fernandez (Montreal, QC, Canada/International Virtual Learning Academy), Ahmani Guichard (Seminole, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Mia Jovic (Torrance, Calif./South HS) joined the Bruins in 2023-24. Fernandez, a veteran of ITF events who earned her first WTA points at the age of 15, reached the doubles second round alongside her sister and partner Leylah Fernandez at the 2022 National Bank Open in Toronto. Guichard, regarded as a Blue Chip prospect by TennisRecruiting.net, reached the singles second round at the 2022 US Open Junior Championships and also earned berths into the 2023 Australian Open Junior Championships and 2022 Roland-Garros Junior Championships. Jovic helped her high school to four consecutive CIF Southern Section Championships appearances and captured the Pioneer League singles title in 2019.
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 made her first major women's doubles final round alongside Shuko Aoyama at the 2023 Australian Open. Shibahara/Aoyama was the last pair standing at the 2023 National Bank Open in Toronto, giving each player her second WTA 1000 championship. Shibahara climbed to a career-best No. 4 position in the WTA's doubles rankings in March 2022 and entered 2024 at No. 14. Catherine Harrison also had a standout 2022, competing at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached the singles second round at the All England Club and earned a main-draw win in doubles at each event. Harrison added the Australian Open to her résumé in 2023 and made a return trip earlier this year. She also collected her first WTA title in 2022, partnering with Sabrina Santamaria to prevail at the Monterrey Open in Mexico. Harrison posted career-high WTA rankings of 214 singles and 69 doubles in 2022. Robin Anderson also had a stellar 2022, making career-high appearances of 137 singles and 181 doubles. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2022 Australian Open. Jennifer Brady, who achieved the highest singles ranking of any former UCLA standout when she climbed to No. 13 in 2021, is No. 96 on the current doubles list. Elysia Bolton (167) and Jada Hart (296) earned the highest doubles rankings of their careers thus far in 2023.
STELLA'S STERLING RÉSUMÉ
Head coach Stella Sampras Webster is in her 28th season at the helm of the UCLA women's tennis program, compiling an impressive overall record of 505-190 (.727). She is the second-longest-tenured active coach at UCLA, behind men's tennis head coach Billy Martin. Sampras Webster collected the 500th win of her illustrious career when the Bruins defeated UC San Diego on April 18, 2023. She has guided her alma mater to NCAA championships in 2008 and 2014, the first two in program history. Sampras Webster's teams have finished top-10 nationally in 22 of her 26 completed seasons and in the top five 15 times. Four NCAA individual championships have been won under her watch: Tian Fangran in 2023, Gabby Andrews/Ayan Broomfield in 2019, Tracy Lin/Riza Zalameda in 2008 and Daniela Bercek/Lauren Fisher in 2004.
Players Mentioned
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