May 29, 2011
Championship Central Website | Live Scoring and Streaming Video
STANFORD, Calif. - Top-seeded and No. 1-ranked California women's tennis junior Jana Juricova will play in her fifth consecutive singles national title match and has a shot to become the second Golden Bear to win the NCAA singles crown. Juricova took out No. 18-ranked Nicole Gibbs of Stanford in a thrilling three-set victory, 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(2), in one singles semifinal of the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships at the Taube Family Tennis Center on Sun., May 29.
Standing in Juricova's way is No. 43-ranked Stacey Tan of Stanford, who walked over into the title match when No. 17 Lauren Embree of Florida retired in the other semifinal due to a foot injury. Juricova and Tan will lock up for the championship at noon PT on Mon., May 30.
Susie Babos lays claim to Cal's only NCAA singles title. She won it the last time that Stanford hosted the NCAA championships as a sophomore in 2006 in straight sets over USC's Lindsey Nelson.
In the doubles championship, Cal's top-ranked and top-seeded duo of Juricova and senior Mari Andersson was upended in the semifinal by the fourth-seeded and No. 3-ranked Stanford team of Hilary Barte and Mallory Burdette, 6-1, 6-4. The Bears won 41 matches this season and produced an 18-4 mark in duals.
In their singles semifinal, Gibbs opened up by breaking Juricova's serve to go up, 2-0. Juricova broke back to make the score, 2-1, but Gibbs returned the favor to go in front, 3-1. Back to serve, Gibbs controlled the fifth game to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the set. Undeterred, Juricova served out a game without giving up a point to get within 4-2. Juricova continued to press, to break Gibbs for a 4-3 deficit, and steamrolled the Cardinal, on serve, to tie the set at four-all. Gibbs stopped her slide to take the next game for a 5-4 lead, but Juricova sent an ace down the inside seam to knot things up at five all. Gibbs fought off a pair of break points to win the next game, and take a 6-5 lead, but Juricova responded, once more, to blank Gibbs and force a tiebreaker. Facing a 3-2 deficit, Juricova slammed a lob to the ground to knot the tiebreaker at three-all, but Gibbs held on to take a 7-5 win and claim the first set.
The players broke each other's serves, twice, to open the second set, before Juricova earned the first hold to go up, 3-2. Gibbs replied to hold on her serve, but Juricova did the same when she crushed an ace down the line to go back on top, 4-3. A deep shot to the baseline by Juricova forced Gibbs' return to go into the net as Juricova claimed a 5-3 lead, but Gibbs took a page out of Juricova's playbook to break back and hold to force a five-all tie. Juricova served her way to a 6-5 lead before she broke Gibbs with a cross-court shot to the corner for a 7-5 win to send the match to a third set.
Juricova deviated from the norm in the third set, and held serve to go up, 1-0, but Gibbs stayed on pace to hold for a one-all tie. Gibbs put the pressure on as she broke Juricova for a 2-1 lead, and held her own serve to go in front, 3-1. Juricova won the next game, on serve, but Gibbs kept her distance by holding to go up, 4-2. In a strong move, Juricova climbed back into the set by winning the next two games in convincing fashion for a four-all tie before she went ahead, 5-4. Facing elimination, Gibbs held to force a five-all tie before Juricova took another 6-5 lead on her serve. In one last gasp, Gibbs forced the tiebreaker, but couldn't keep up with Juricova, who raced out to a 5-1 lead. Gibbs could muster just one more point as Juricova completed the three-set win with a 7-2 victory in the third-set tiebreaker.
Stanford took a quick 3-0 lead in the first set of the doubles semifinal as the Cardinal broke Juricova in the first game and Andersson in the third. The Bears replied and broke Burdette's serve in the fourth game to get on the board, 3-1, but the Cardinal responded to break Juricova, again, to go ahead, 4-1. Once more, Barte's serve kept the Bears at bay as Stanford gained a 5-1 lead. The Cardinal held Cal in check as it broke Andersson's serve to win, 6-1.
Burdette held serve to open the second set and scored the winning point for a 1-0 lead when she put the soft touch on a shot at the net. Burdette also returned the winning volley on a Cal crossing shot that sealed a 2-0 lead for Stanford. For the second time in the match, the Cardinal took a 3-0 lead in the set as Burdette poached another ball for the winner. Stanford broke Andersson's serve, once more, to take a 4-0 lead in the set, but Burdette's serve dictated the pace in the next game to give the Cardinal a 5-0 lead.
Behind Juricova's serve, Cal scored a win in the sixth game, and broke Barte to get within a break at 5-2. Andersson put the momentum in Cal's court with her serve to help the Bears climb back into the set with a win for a 5-3 deficit, but Cal got the break it needed against Burdette's serve to make the score, 5-4. The Cardinal responded to build a love-40 lead against Juricova's serve, but it only needed one more rally as Stanford finished off the 6-1, 6-4 upset victory to move into the championship match.
For complete schedules, results, scores, draws, and live streaming video, please visit www.GoStanford.com.
2011 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
Taube Family Tennis Center | Stanford, Calif.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Singles Semifinal | May 29
[1] No. 1 Jana Juricova (CAL) def. No. 18 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(2)
Doubles Semifinal | May 29
[4] No. 3 Barte/Burdette (STAN) def. [1] No. 1 Andersson/Juricova (CAL) 6-1, 6-4
Singles Final | May 30
[1] No. 1 Jana Juricova (CAL) vs. No. 43 Stacey Tan (STAN) - Noon PT
Post-match Quotes
Head coach Amanda Augustus
On Jana Juricova's fifth consecutive appearance in a singles national title match
"I think she's excited to be back in the finals. She's been in the final of every singles tournament she's played since the end of 2009. I think for her, she wants to take it that extra step. She's been working really hard this spring to put herself in that position, and be ready, and healthy, and all those things she needs. She's never played [Stacey] Tan, and she'll have the crowd behind her, but hopefully, we'll have lot of Bear fans here, supporting Jana. I think it'll be a great match."
On the Cal-Stanford doubles semifinal match
"We were very happy to be here, playing at the tail end of the tournament. Unfortunately, we just didn't have enough answers, today. It was probably the most lopsided match we've had against that team. We've played them so many times, but they just really came out on a mission today, and attacked, and played aggressively. Unfortunately, that's not how we wanted to end the doubles season, but still, Jana and Mari were Pac-10 champs, and their list of accomplishments is amazing. I can't say enough about all of what they have done for Cal as a doubles team."
Junior Jana Juricova
On advancing to the NCAA singles championship match
"I knew the match was going to be really tough, but I think I was mentally ready for it. She's a great player and it was a great match and the crowd was amazing, too. That really helped me to pull through it. It's nice to have something to rely on when it's really close. It was a combination of things that got me through the match, but I trusted my game and it worked out."
On having to face the local favorite on their home court for the second year in a row
"It will be sort of the same as last year, with a great crowd, but I just love these courts, especially court No. 1, so it doesn't really matter to me. We play here so often, and we have such great matches, I just like these courts."
On seeing Stanford's fifth singles player in the final
"Stanford has a very deep lineup so there is no surprise that someone who doesn't play at the top made it to the final. But it truly doesn't matter who I'm playing. I just need to play my game, and fight really hard. It doesn't matter who is on the other side."
On the chance to follow up Susie Babos' 2006 NCAA title
"She finished right before I got here, so I knew her a little bit. She was a great player and she always talks about that finals match, and I think she's a great model for that. I will try to do at least as good as she did."
