The Cal women’s tennis team seems to have worked out some important glitches, as the Bears have a strong presence in the later rounds of the ITA Northwest Regionals in Stanford, Calif. Jana Juricova, the No. 1 singles seed is slated to play the No. 4 seed Nicole Gibbs of Stanford at noon today. The two doubles teams that have advanced, Juricova and freshman Sofie Susanyi, along with Annie Goransson and Anett Schutting, will play in their respective semifinals at 1:30.
The doubles teams, which were a major concern entering the weekend, have shown definite signs of improvement. Juricova and Susanyi have looked strong, as Juricova’s length at the net compliments Susanyi’s spectacular power from the baseline. Goransson and Schutting, who have had experience playing together in the past, were also solid. In an early match against Santa Clara, Schutting continually baffled her opponents with her serve, and both she and Goransson executed at the net. One of the few points that Santa Clara won in an 8-3 rout was when Goransson fired a volley off her opponent with such force that it bounced back over the net.
The Bears’ third doubles team, Tayler Davis and Cecilia Estlander, were knocked out by the No. 8 seeded Stanford pair of Stacey Tan and Ellen Tsay. Estlander’s serve was on point, and she showed a multitude of looks from the baseline. The match was tied 7-7, but Stanford proved to be too much at the net. Tsay, who knocked out Davis in singles, had more than a few gorgeous deflections at the net, prompting applause from the hometown crowd on multiple occasions.
Surprisingly, the favorites have won out in singles. Seven of the eight quarterfinalists were expected to reach that point, with the exception of Davis, who lost in the second round as a result of a tough draw. The semifinals consist the top four ranked players.
In her quarterfinal match against Marianne Jodoin of Fresno State, Juricova struggled early, hitting potential slams into the net and struggling to find her accuracy. Jodoin, a raucous French-Canadian, was fired up after winning the first set 5-7, yet Juricova came back and dominated, dropping only three games in the closing sets.
Goransson was the other Bear to reach the final eight, but she was defeated by Nicole Gibbs, 1-6, 3-6. Goransson showed signs of life early, cutting the lead to 4-3, but then dropped eight of the final nine games to the crafty Gibbs.
The outcome of the singles semifinals will offer a first look at the layout of the Pac-12 this year. In the other semifinal, Stanford’s Mallory Burdette squares off against Washington’s Denise Dy, the No.2 and No.3 seeds, respectively.
The afternoon’s doubles semifinals will be crucial in the Cal team’s development. Advancing one team, or perhaps two, could mean that these doubles partners stick for the Bears. It is worthy to note, however, that the top west coast doubles team, Stanford’s Burdette and Gibbs, is not in the tournament.
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