Stanford University had the wonderful experience of having Roger Federer coach some students of the men’s team a few days ago. But, instead, as regards the women’s team, The No.5 Cardinals emerged defeated from a grueling match, which lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, lost with the final score of 4-3 against No.17 UCLA, on Sunday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Center.
Left it all out there.#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/nCtpwLAics
— Stanford Women’s Tennis (@StanfordWTennis) March 31, 2024
Stanford will return to host No.3 Pepperdine, tomorrow, Friday at 1:30 pm
Stanford welcomes the Waves 🌲🌊
Take in some top-5 action and enjoy lunch on us.
Free burritos for the first 💯 on Friday 🌯#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/dCSkrBBYSx
— Stanford Women’s Tennis (@StanfordWTennis) April 3, 2024
The Bruins’ Kimmi Hance saved two match points against Connie Ma and ultimately prevailed on court two, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
Hance won the first set, but Ma fought back, served to force the tiebreaker and won the tiebreaker, 7-3. The pair remained on serve in the third until the break of rallies after it was 5-5 to set up another tiebreak. Hance finished with a backhand winner down the line that snapped Ma’s 12-game individual hitting streak.
The Cardinal had to fight back from a 3-0 hole and nearly pulled out of reverse. UCLA took the doubles point and then won singles on courts one and four. Stanford evened things up with wins from Valencia Xu on six, Alexandra Yepifanova on three and Katherine Hui on five. Yepifanova beat No. 72 Bianca Fernandez after losing the first set, 6-2, to snatch 6-1, 6-0 wins in sets two and three.
Fresh set of @ITA_Tennis singles & doubles rankings 👇👀#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/G5jECSTwVh
— Stanford Women’s Tennis (@StanfordWTennis) April 3, 2024
The loss was Stanford’s second of the season, first outdoors, and ended the Cardinal’s 21-game winning streak against Pac-12 opponents in all competitions. Stanford hadn’t lost to a conference foe since April 16, 2015 at No. 7 California (5-2).
Women’s singles:
1) #59 Tian Fangran (UCLA) d. #26 Angelica Blake (STAN) 6-0, 6-4
2) #89 Kimmi Hance (UCLA) d. #13 Connie Ma (STAN) 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5)
3) #27 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. #72 Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
4) Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) d. #92 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) 6-1, 6-3
5) Katherine Hui (STAN) d. Elise Wagle (UCLA) 7-5, 6-4
6) #103 Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-3, 6-1
Women’s doubles:
1) Tian Fangran/Elise Wagle (UCLA) d. #52 Connie Ma/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-2
2) #80 Kimmi Hance/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer (UCLA) d. #67 Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) 7-6 (6)
3) Katherine Hui/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Bianca Fernandez/Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-4
