OJAI, Calif. – Three Golden Bears each won twice on the first day of the Pac-12 Championships on Thursday at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club, though that means two of the Bears – Karla Popovic and Olivia Hauger – will face each other in Friday's singles invitational quarterfinals. Top-seeded Maegan Manasse advanced to Friday's quarterfinals of the singles championship draw.
Manasse, a junior ranked 11th in singles, defeated USC's 116th-ranked Madison Westby, 6-2, 6-4, in the round of 32, and then dominated Washington State's Trang Huynh, 6-1, 6-0, in the round of 16. The Cal star will face Arizona State's Desirae Krawczyk in Friday's quarterfinal round at 12 p.m.
In the invitational draw quarterfinals, teammates Popovic, a sophomore, and Hauger, a freshman, will also face off at 12 p.m. on Friday. Popovic knocked off Utah's Alexia Petrovic, 6-1, 6-3, in the round of 32 and then routed Colorado's Alexandra Aiello, 6-1, 6-0, on Thursday. Hauger opened with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Oregon's Marlou Kluiving and then beat Arizona State's Alexandra Osborne, 6-3, 6-1, in the round of 16.
Back in the main draw, senior Klara Fabikova also won in the round of 32, with the 12th-ranked and second-seeded Bear topping Washington's Elianne Douglas-Miron, 6-2, 6-4. But Stanford's 82nd-ranked Caroline Doyle upset Fabikova, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3, in the round of 16. Junior Denise Starr, ranked 79th, played a close match with UCLA's 17th-ranked Catherine Harrison in the round of 32 but fell, 7-6(4), 7-6(4). Senior Lynn Chi, ranked 76th, lost to USC's Zoë Katz, 6-1, 6-4, in the round of 32.
Cal freshman Maria Smith lost in the singles invitational round of 32 to USC's Jessica Failla, 6-2, 6-1.
“We had a good first day,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “We got a lot of matches in, which we wanted. Maegan had a great opening day. Although Denise lost to Harrison she played a really, really tight match. She hit the ball really well. That bodes well for her going forward. Both Karla and Olivia were very solid in both of their matches. Those were the definite solid performances today. Everyone gets to play tomorrow, which will include some consolation singles matches, along with the doubles.”
The Pac-12 Championships continue on Friday and end on Sunday.
Pac-12 Championships
April 21, 2016
Ojai Valley Athletic Club
Cal Results
Singles Championship Draw
Round of 32
[1] No. 11 Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. No. 116 Madison Westby (USC) – 6-2, 6-4
Zoë Katz (USC) def. No. 76 Lynn Chi (Cal) – 6-1, 6-4
[2] No. 12 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Elianne Douglas-Miron (UW) – 6-2, 6-4
No. 17 Catherine Harrison (UCLA) def. No. 79 Denise Starr (Cal) – 7-6(4), 7-6(4)
Round of 16
[1] No. 11 Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. Trang Huynh (WSU) – 6-1, 6-0
No. 82 Caroline Doyle (Stanford) def. [2] No. 12 Klara Fabikova (Cal) – 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
Singles Invitational Draw
Round of 32
Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Alexia Petrovic (Utah) – 6-1, 6-3
Olivia Hauger (Cal) def. Marlou Kluiving (Oregon) – 6-2, 6-4
Jessica Failla (USC) def. Maria Smith (Cal) – 6-2, 6-1
Round of 16
Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Alexandra Aiello (Colorado) – 6-1, 6-0
Olivia Hauger (Cal) def. Alexandra Osborne (ASU) – 6-3, 6-1
