Hoping to have saved their best for last, Zsofi Susanyi and Anett Schutting will face off against the nation’s finest tennis players this weekend.
No. 5 Susanyi and No. 22 Schutting of the Cal women’s tennis team will take part in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championship in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
Running from Thursday to Sunday, the final grand slam of the fall season will be played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open.
“It’s a big deal to play in this tournament,” head coach Amanda Augustus said. “(Susanyi and Schutting) match up really well with anyone in the country. That speaks to the level of our program.”
For Susanyi and Schutting, receiving a bid for a fall championship has been a season-long goal.
Now that they’ve accomplished that, the expectation isn’t to compete. It’s to win the grand slam.
“Obviously, their goal is to win the tournament,” Augustus said. “Playing this tournament is a challenge. They’ll take it match by match.”
The tournament features a 32-player singles draw and a 20-team doubles draw. Seven of the nation’s top 10 players will be on hand, including the undefeated Lauren Embree of Florida, who won the ITA/Riviera Women’s All-American Championships.
Susanyi, who has been rehabilitating an ankle injury, looks to be closer to full strength than ever before. She also won’t participate in the doubles draw, giving her more time to recover between matches.
“She’s getting more and more into match shape,” Augustus said. “Each week has been an improvement. It’s an ongoing thing … she’s still game by game, match by match.”
Susanyi is no stranger to facing the nation’s best. Last season, against a similar level of competition, she advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA National Championships.
Because of Susanyi’s experience, Augustus doesn’t think pressure will play a significant role.
“You can’t get here if you can’t handle your nerves,” Augustus said.
As for Schutting, this year has marked a tremendous step forward for the junior. She placed second at the regional championships last month as well as at the Cal Nike Invitational in September. Augustus attributed Schutting’s improvement this season to consistency and variety.
“She’s learned how to use more of her game and use more variety,” Augustus said. “She can hit a ball really well and overpower her opponent, but now she has more variety to go along with it.”
The rest of the Cal squad will be competing at the Arizona State Thunderbird Invitational, played at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, Ariz. The tournament begins on Friday and concludes on Sunday.
There, the squad will attempt to have a Bear take home the crown in the singles draw for the second consecutive year. Last season, Susanyi earned first place by defeating senior Tayler Davis in an all-Cal finals.
Both tournaments mark the end of the fall season for the Bears.
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