URBANA, Ill. – Elysia Bolton of the UCLA women’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships singles tournament Monday at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex, while teammate Abbey Forbes was defeated by a fellow top-30 opponent.
Bolton, ranked No. 58 by the ITA, bested No. 47 Kit Gulihur of North Florida, 7-5, 6-2, for her third-career win in the event. She previously made the third round in 2019. No. 25 Forbes suffered a 6-3, 6-3 loss at the hands of No. 27 Lisa Zaar of Pepperdine.
The first set between Bolton and Gulihur featured five consecutive breaks of serve, with the Bruin taking a 6-5 advantage on the last one. Bolton held there for the set. The second saw Bolton take three of the first four games, as well as the final three. The win represented the third in two appearances at the tournament for Bolton, who previously reached the third round in 2019. She will next take on Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado of VCU Tuesday at 8 a.m. PT.
Forbes, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 installment of the national year-end event, had her serve broken at 3-3 of the first set and dropped the final two games going into the second. There, a 2-2 score became 2-5 before Forbes held for 3-5. Zaar would then close it out.
Bolton will have two matches Tuesday, starting with her singles tilt. She will also team with Elise Wagle as doubles play gets underway. The pair meets top-seeded Jaeda Daniel and Nell Miller of NC State at 4 p.m. PT.
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