NEWPORT, R.I. – California captured six of nine matches on Saturday at the Hall of Fame ITA Grass Court Invitational, including four of six in singles, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
 
The Bears' Saturday success comes one day after they won just three of eight singles matches on Friday on a surface that most Cal players aren't familiar with.
 
"We did fantastic today," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said, "after getting a day of matches under our belts. Everybody adjusted really well. You could see everyone felt more comfortable today, and we were very successful today in doubles as well in singles. I was really pleased how everybody competed today. We stepped up our level our intensity, and I saw us playing smarter on the surface today, choosing shots that would allow us to be more aggressive. It was a fantastic second day."
 
Cal junior Karla Popovic improved to 2-0 at the tournament with a dominant performance, with the 90th-ranked Bear blanking Georgia Tech's Luca Fabian, 6-0, 6-0.
 
"I had never played on grass before, not even a practice," Popovic said. "It's very difficult but I love it. It's a great experience. Obviously I've had to adjust my game style according to the surface, but so far so good."
 
Cal freshman Alexis Nelson also moved to 2-0 with her 6-4, 6-2 victory over Harvard's Irene Lu on Saturday, while freshman Maria Smith knocked off Harvard's Erica Oosterhout, 6-2, 6-2, and junior Audrey Mayer prevailed over Harvard's Isabel Jasper, 6-4, 6-4.
 
In doubles, the pair of Smith and senior Denise Smith defeated Georgia Tech's Rasheeda McAdoo/Kenya Jones, 8-5, while the duo of Mayer and senior Stephane Lin beat Harvard's Isabel Jasper/Natasha Gonzalez, 8-4.
 
The Bears also took a tour of the historic International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday. Some highlights included a Roger Federer exhibit and an exhibit devoted to iconic Cal alumna Helen Wills, whose rivalry with another legendary Cal alumna, Helen Hull Jacobs, was dubbed the "Battle of the Helens." Their head-to-head matches included Hull Jacobs prevailing over Wills in the 1933 Wimbledon singles final, in which Wills retired with an injury, and Wills beating Hull Jacobs for the 1935 Wimbledon title.
 
"It was very exciting and inspirational at the same time to learn about the history, which is motivating to the players," Augustus said. "That was a really great experience. Our players make that connection to the Helen Wills exhibit. Since she's a Cal alum, we have some of her memorabilia at our team room at Cal. This is such a terrific trip for our team."
 
"It was great," Popovic added. "It's such an honor to be here and experience all of this. Seeing all those trophies in the Hall of Fame is pretty amazing."
 
The three-day tournament comes to a close on Sunday.
 
Hall of Fame ITA Grass Court Invitational – Cal Results
 
Sept. 17, 2016, in Newport, R.I.
International Tennis Hall of Fame
 
Billie Jean King Flight
No. 77 Rasheeda McAdoo (Georgia Tech) def. No. 62 Denise Starr (Cal) – 6-4, 3-6, 10-4
 
Chris Evert Flight
Sophia Blanco (Oklahoma St.) def. Stephane Lin (Cal) – 6-4, 6-0
 
Stefanie Graf Flight
No. 90 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. Luca Fabian (Georgia Tech) – 6-0, 6-0
 
Monica Seles Flight
Maria Smith (Cal) def. Erica Oosterhout (Harvard) – 6-2, 6-2
 
Martina Hingis Flight
Alexis Nelson (Cal) def. Irene Lu (Harvard) – 6-4, 6-2
 
Lindsay Davenport Flight
Audrey Mayer (Cal) def. Isabel Jasper (Harvard) – 6-4, 6-4
 
Casals/King Draw
Denise Starr/Maria Smith (Cal) def. Rasheeda McAdoo/Kenya Jones (Georgia Tech) – 8-5
 
Fernandez/Zvereva Draw
Katarina Stresnakova/Lena Ruppert (Georgia Tech) def. Karla Popovic/Alexis Nelson (Cal) – 8-6
 
Navratilova/Shriver Draw
Stephane Lin/Audrey Mayer (Cal) def. Isabel Jasper/Natasha Gonzalez (Harvard) – 8-4