Women’s tennis looks to defend ITA Northwest title

Junior and 2019 Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year Michaela Gordon looks to repeat her singles title win in the ITA Northwest Championships this year. The Cardinal will compete in the tournament at home for the 13th-straight year this weekend. (LYNDSAY RADNEDGE/isiphotos.com)
By Savanna Stewart
Oct. 18, 2019, 12:02 a.m.

After opening their season with the Women’s Collegiate Classic in Malibu and the Saint Mary’s Invitational in Moraga, Stanford women’s tennis aims to repeat its 2018 success with a strong showing this Friday at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. This year’s contest marks the 13th straight season the tournament has been played at Stanford.

At last year’s competition, the Cardinal claimed both the singles and doubles titles, with then-sophomore Michaela Gordon defeating teammate Caroline Lampl (6-4, 6-7, 6-2) in a unique Cardinal vs. Cardinal championship to take home the singles trophy. Senior-freshman pair Kimberly Yee and Niluka Madurawe dominated the doubles bracket, edging past Cal’s Anna Bright and Jasie Dunk to secure the doubles crown. 

Though the 2019-2020 Cardinal team lost five seniors from last year’s NCAA Championship team, Stanford’s roster still features several accomplished players. Gordon, currently No. 6 in singles, is the highest-ranked Stanford player, though senior Emily Arbuthnott has earned her own impressive position at No. 30. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, the Women’s Collegiate Classic proved difficult nonetheless, as Stanford’s hope for the singles title was cut short in the quarterfinals by Pepperdine’s Jessica Failla’s 6-2, 6-3 victory over Gordon.

At the Saint Mary’s Invitational, success was found more easily, as freshman Angelica Blake made the most of her collegiate debut, taking down Pacific’s Kiara Kosan (4-6, 6-2, 6-2) in the singles title match. Also competing for the Cardinal was sophomore Sara Choy, who managed to secure three singles victories of her own before withdrawing in the semifinals due to injury. With classmate Madurawe, Choy is set to kick off ITA Northwest Regional action for the Cardinal in the Main Doubles Draw against Jane Ellis and Ann-Cathrin Hummel of Fresno State.

In addition to Stanford, the ITA Northwest Regional Championships features 15 NCAA schools, including Pac-12 foes California and Oregon. Following doubles play, Main Draw Singles matches are scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. PT on Friday.

Contact Savanna Stewart at savnstew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

Savanna Stewart is a managing editor in the Sports section. She is a junior from Twin Bridges, Montana studying Political Science and Communication and enjoys running and playing basketball. Contact her at sstewart 'at' stanforddaily.com.

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