BOX SCORE
Winning a Big West Tournament match for the first time since 2009, UC Riverside advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s draw with a 4-2 triumph over UC Irvine on day one of the tennis championships at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Highlanders had lost eight straight first round matches since that win over Cal State Fullerton in 2009, but broke through in the first round against the Anteaters. UCR will play top-seeded UC Santa Barbara at 9:00 a.m. on Friday.
No. 9 seed UCR (6-18) had to play catch up as the eighth-seeded Anteaters grabbed the doubles point to start the match. Stephanie Hazell and Danielle Garrido earned a 6-3 win against UCR’s Tia Elpusan and Sara Khattab to clinch the point.
However, singles was a different story altogether as the Highlanders won four of the five completed matches. Elpusan tied the match up at 1-1 apiece with her 6-1, 6-0 triumph at No. 2 over Vivien Dvali. Karla Dulay gave UCR a 2-1 lead with her 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 1 over Hazell.
UCI (9-16) evened the match at 2-2 when Flora Amiri downed Khattab, 7-5, 6-2, at No. 3. As play tightened up, the Highlanders turned to the bottom of their lineup to win a pair of three-set contests in comeback fashion.
Lauren Wolfe battled to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Arianna Tilbury at No. 5, and the clincher came at No. 6, where Tracy Van roared back from a first-set deficit to defeat Jacqueline Tsodikova by set scores of 4-6, 6-0, 6-2.
BIG WEST WOMEN’S TENNIS FIRST ROUND
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN
THURSDAY, APRIL 26
(9) UC RIVERSIDE 4, (8) UC IRVINE 2
Doubles
1. Hazell/Danielle Garrido (UCI) def. Elpusan/Khattab (UCR) - 6-3
2. Amiri/Tilbury (UCI) def. Wolfe/Tamilla Vaksman (UCR) - 6-2
3. Dvali/Chen (UCI) vs. Natalie Penner/Van (UCR) - 5-4 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles
1. Karla Dulay (UCR) def. Stephanie Hazell (UCI) - 6-0, 6-3
2. Tia Elpusan (UCR) def. Vivien Dvali (UCI) - 6-1, 6-0
3. Flora Amiri (UCI) def. Sara Khattab (UCR) - 7-5, 6-2
4. Yulin Chen (UCI) vs. Chloe Pham (UCR) - 1-6, 5-5 (unfinished)
5. Lauren Wolfe (UCR) def. Arianna Tilbury (UCI) - 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
6. Tracy Van (UCR) def. Jacqueline Tsodikova (UCI) - 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 6