MALIBU, Calif. – Denise Starr's run in the Oracle ITA Masters ended in the main draw singles round of 16, as the California senior lost to Duke's Meible Chi on Friday at Pepperdine.
 
Ranked 62nd, the Golden Bear won the first set before falling to the seventh-seeded Blue Devil, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
 
"Denise competed really well," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "She executed her game plan we had set up. She returned very well today and worked on her aggressive play. When she was able to transition to the net she was very successful."
 
"I was a little more aggressive in the first set," Starr said. "My slice worked a little better, and I came to the net. Those were the keys to winning the first set. In the second set, I wasn't able to make as many first serves as I wanted."
 
"The match was very close and very competitive," Augustus added. "Meible's a good player, with a couple points here or there changing the outcome of the match. The third set was very close, but Meible just won a few more points in the end."
 
The Bears next play in the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships from Oct. 21-25 at Stanford.
 
Oracle ITA Masters
Oct. 14, 2016, in Malibu, Calif.
Pepperdine University
 
[7] Meible Chi (Duke) def. No. 62 Denise Starr (Cal) – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4