LOS ANGELES – The 24th-ranked UCLA women's tennis team snapped No. 19 Wisconsin's 13-match winning streak Saturday, beating the Badgers in a 4-3 thriller at Los Angeles Tennis Center. Freshman Kate Fakih was the last player standing, capping the Bruins' comeback from a 3-2 deficit.
Fakih registered a three-set victory on Court 4 to make the difference. Elise Wagle and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer also earned singles wins for UCLA (9-7, 4-3 in Big Ten play), with the latter knocking off the nation's No. 5 player in the day's marquee match. Wisconsin (14-2, 7-1) had leads of 2-1 and 3-2 after Ellison Reynoldson, Taylor Cataldi and Ariel Johnson prevailed in order.
The third-ranked pair of Fakih/Olivia Center broke the serve of Reynoldson/Ekaterina Ivanova for a 2-1 advantage and rode that to a 6-3 victory on Court 2. A flurry of breaks closed out the Court 3 match between Lutkemeyer/Ahmani Guichard and Cataldi/Tianna Rangan, but the Bruins ultimately collected more of them en route to a 6-4 win – their team-high 11th of dual-match play.
Each side picked up three singles first sets, but momentum would soon shift toward the Badgers. Reynoldson pulled them even with her performance on Court 6, beating Center 6-4, 6-2. A matchup of local products on Court 2 went the way of No. 100 Cataldi (Corona, Calif.), who bested No. 103 Hance (Torrance, Calif.) by a 6-3, 6-3 margin to give Wisconsin its first lead.
UCLA tied the score again behind No. 92 Wagle, who overcame 3-5 and 5-6 second-set tiebreaker deficits to beat Ivanova 6-1, 7-6(6) on Court 3. Wagle has now won four singles matches in a row – all in straight sets.
Wisconsin retook the lead on Court 5, where Johnson dealt Guichard a 7-6(6), 6-3 defeat. With the Bruins trailing 3-2, No. 22 Lutkemeyer alternated big second-set shots with No. 5 Sholokhova, while No. 44 Fakih began her third set with Rangan.
In a match that featured a number of marathon rallies, Lutkemeyer held match point on Court 1. Twenty-four shots followed her serve, with the final one getting past Sholokhova for a 7-5, 7-5 result and the highest-ranked victory of Lutkemeyer's career.
Fakih's third career clincher was her first in a 4-3 match. She closed out the 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 decision on with a break of Rangan that sparked a celebration on Court 4.
UCLA returns to action Sunday morning, when it faces Minnesota. First serve from LATC is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.
Tennis Match Results
Wisconsin vs UCLA
4/5/2025 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#24 UCLA 4, #19 Wisconsin 3
Singles competition
1. #22 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. #5 Maria Sholokhova (WIS) 7-5, 7-5
2. #100 Taylor Cataldi (WIS) def. #103 Kimmi Hance (UCLA) 6-3, 6-3
3. #92 Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. Ekaterina Ivanova (WIS) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
4. #44 Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Tianna Rangan (WIS) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
5. Ariel Johnson (WIS) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
6. Ellison Reynoldson (WIS) def. Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #16 Kimmi Hance/Elise Wagle (UCLA) vs. #86 Ariel Johnson/Maria Sholokhova (WIS) 4-5, unfinished
2. #3 Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Ekaterina Ivanova/Ellison Reynoldson (WIS) 6-3
3. Ahmani Guichard/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Taylor Cataldi/Tianna Rangan (WIS) 6-4
Match Notes:
Wisconsin 14-2; National ranking #19
UCLA 9-7; National ranking #24
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,2,3,5,1,4)
Fakih registered a three-set victory on Court 4 to make the difference. Elise Wagle and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer also earned singles wins for UCLA (9-7, 4-3 in Big Ten play), with the latter knocking off the nation's No. 5 player in the day's marquee match. Wisconsin (14-2, 7-1) had leads of 2-1 and 3-2 after Ellison Reynoldson, Taylor Cataldi and Ariel Johnson prevailed in order.
The third-ranked pair of Fakih/Olivia Center broke the serve of Reynoldson/Ekaterina Ivanova for a 2-1 advantage and rode that to a 6-3 victory on Court 2. A flurry of breaks closed out the Court 3 match between Lutkemeyer/Ahmani Guichard and Cataldi/Tianna Rangan, but the Bruins ultimately collected more of them en route to a 6-4 win – their team-high 11th of dual-match play.
Each side picked up three singles first sets, but momentum would soon shift toward the Badgers. Reynoldson pulled them even with her performance on Court 6, beating Center 6-4, 6-2. A matchup of local products on Court 2 went the way of No. 100 Cataldi (Corona, Calif.), who bested No. 103 Hance (Torrance, Calif.) by a 6-3, 6-3 margin to give Wisconsin its first lead.
UCLA tied the score again behind No. 92 Wagle, who overcame 3-5 and 5-6 second-set tiebreaker deficits to beat Ivanova 6-1, 7-6(6) on Court 3. Wagle has now won four singles matches in a row – all in straight sets.
Wisconsin retook the lead on Court 5, where Johnson dealt Guichard a 7-6(6), 6-3 defeat. With the Bruins trailing 3-2, No. 22 Lutkemeyer alternated big second-set shots with No. 5 Sholokhova, while No. 44 Fakih began her third set with Rangan.
In a match that featured a number of marathon rallies, Lutkemeyer held match point on Court 1. Twenty-four shots followed her serve, with the final one getting past Sholokhova for a 7-5, 7-5 result and the highest-ranked victory of Lutkemeyer's career.
Fakih's third career clincher was her first in a 4-3 match. She closed out the 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 decision on with a break of Rangan that sparked a celebration on Court 4.
No moment too B1G for Kate Fakih.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/lZ3ZQUJVuZ
— UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) April 5, 2025
UCLA returns to action Sunday morning, when it faces Minnesota. First serve from LATC is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.
Tennis Match Results
Wisconsin vs UCLA
4/5/2025 at Los Angeles, CA
(Los Angeles Tennis Center)
#24 UCLA 4, #19 Wisconsin 3
Singles competition
1. #22 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. #5 Maria Sholokhova (WIS) 7-5, 7-5
2. #100 Taylor Cataldi (WIS) def. #103 Kimmi Hance (UCLA) 6-3, 6-3
3. #92 Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. Ekaterina Ivanova (WIS) 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)
4. #44 Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Tianna Rangan (WIS) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
5. Ariel Johnson (WIS) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
6. Ellison Reynoldson (WIS) def. Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #16 Kimmi Hance/Elise Wagle (UCLA) vs. #86 Ariel Johnson/Maria Sholokhova (WIS) 4-5, unfinished
2. #3 Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Ekaterina Ivanova/Ellison Reynoldson (WIS) 6-3
3. Ahmani Guichard/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Taylor Cataldi/Tianna Rangan (WIS) 6-4
Match Notes:
Wisconsin 14-2; National ranking #19
UCLA 9-7; National ranking #24
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,2,3,5,1,4)