CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (May 26, 2022) – Washington State’s Michaela Bayerlova’s magical run at the 2022 NCAA Tennis Singles Championship came to an end Thursday as she dropped a 6,1 7-6 quarterfinals match to Virginia Commonwealth’s Paola Exposito Diaz-Delgado at the 2022 NCAA Tennis Singles Championship at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on the University of Illinois campus.
The loss ended a stretch that saw Bayerlova advance farther than any Cougar player in program history after winning three matches to begin the tournament.
“Misa is the ultimate fighter. She fought for every point today but her opponent didn’t allow any room for mistakes,” said WSU Head Coach Raquel Atawo. “It was a bittersweet moment as this is the end of her WSU career but we can’t be more excited for her next phase of life. The entire Coug family is wishing her all the best and so thankful for all that she brought to the program”
The first set was all Diaz-Delgado as she controlled points from the baseline, moving Bayerlova around the court. The Cougar senior had chances early, having game points in each of the first two games only to come away empty. After falling behind, 0-5, Bayerlova earned a break late, but couldn’t hold it, dropping the next game at love to lose the first set, 6-1.
In the second, the two players went back and forth as neither led by more than one game the entire set. Bayerlova again had opportunities, earning a break of serve late to go up 5-4. It was the first deuce game Bayerlova had won after dropping each of her first four. She then trailed 5-6 before an easy service game tied the set at 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker.
In the breaker, Bayerlova capitalized on four-straight Diaz-Delgado unforced errors to take a 6-4 lead, giving her two set points. Unable to close it out at that point, Bayerlova had another set point at 8-7, only to see Diaz-Delgado finish a cross-court passing shot to even things. Trailing 8-9, Bayerlova’s forehand return sailed wide, ending the match.
The loss ends arguably the finest tennis season, and career, in program history. Bayerlova finished the 2022 campaign with a 20-3 overall record, which included nine wins over ranked players with her only losses coming to ranked individuals. She was named the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Singles Player of the Year, the first in school history, as well as the 2022 Pac-12…
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