BERKELEY - Fifth-ranked California made a triumphant return to the Hellman Tennis Complex and to outdoor tennis on Sunday, when the Golden Bears throttled No. 46 Harvard, 7-0, in a nonconference dual match. Cal improved its record to 5-1, while the Crimson now stands at 4-3.
Today's win – played in balmy weather in front of a good crowd at Cal's newly renovated home – began a three-game home stand. The Bears last played three matches in the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship, reaching the semifinals before falling to Georgia.
The teams played an eight-game pro-set in doubles with regular scoring and didn't use the no-ad system as they did at indoors and earlier in the season. Cal nevertheless quickly captured the doubles point.
The 16th-ranked pair of senior Zsofi Susanyi and junior Klara Fabikova beat the Harvard team of Sylvia Li and Ellen Jang-Milsten, 8-1, before Cal's eighth-ranked duo of sophomores Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr defeated Monica Lin and Annika Ringblom, 8-2, to secure the doubles point.
Fabikova, ranked 34th in singles, eventually clinched the overall match at 4-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 court-two victory over Monica Lin. The teams played out the remaining three matches, with senior Cecilia Estlander completing the 7-0 win with a 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(3) triumph over Amanda Lin on court six.
“Getting back outside and getting back to playing our traditional scoring format was really nice,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “I'm a big proponent of using regular scoring.In the typical dual-match situation, I think it's just really good for everyone to get that opportunity to play. Cessi's match happened to take the longest today, and her getting a victory for the team is good for her confidence. It'll help her next weekend.”
Augustus added, “The doubles was key. It gets you off to such a good start. We had such a good crowd today, so that was fun for the team to feed off the crowd. Denise was the first win on the board. She played a real good, complete match and got the ball rolling. I think we looked solid on all six courts, and I was really proud of Cessi for finding her way out there in that third-set tiebreak, so that we ended up with everyone being successful today.”
Cal returns to action when it hosts USC on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and UCLA on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
No. 5 Cal (5-1) defeated No. 46 Harvard (4-3) – 7-0
Feb. 15, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. No. 8 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal) def. Monica Lin/Annika Ringblom (Harvard) – 8-2
2. No. 16 Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Sylvia Li/Ellen Jang-Milsten (Harvard) – 8-1
3. Stephane Lin/Karla Popovic (Cal) vs. Amy He/Nikki Kallenberg (Harvard) – Abandoned
Cal captured the doubles point.
Order of Finish: 2, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 1Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. Nikki Kallenberg (Harvard) – 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 34 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Monica Lin (Harvard) – 6-2, 6-4
3. No. 20 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Ellen Jang-Milsten (Harvard) – 6-2, 6-1
4. No. 59 Denise Starr (Cal) def. Amy He (Harvard) – 6-1, 6-1
5. No. 28 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Sylvia Li (Harvard) – 6-1, 6-1
6. Cecilia Estlander (Cal) def. Amanda Lin (Harvard) – 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(3)
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2^, 5, 3, 6
^Clinched the overall match
