Bears Forge Way To Semis At ITA Regionals

Hannah Viller Moeller is two wins away from reaching the singles and doubles finals at ITA regionals.

WTEN10/15/2023 9:29 PM | By: Cal Athletics

STANFORD – Two California women’s tennis doubles teams and one Golden Bear in singles won Sunday at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships to reach Monday’s semifinals at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. Hannah Viller Moeller advanced in both singles and doubles for the Bears.
 
In singles, the sixth-seeded Viller Moeller played teammate Katja Wiersholm, who’s seeded fourth and ranked 98th, for the second time in two weeks. On Oct. 1 in the top-flight final at the Cal Fall Invitational in Berkeley, Wiersholm prevailed in a close match, 7-5, 7-6(7). But this time, Viller Moeller defeated Wiersholm, 6-3, 6-4, on The Farm. The Dane was the only Bear to reach the last four, as host Stanford produced the other three semifinalists. Viller Moeller will face one of them, the second-seeded and 21st-ranked Alexandra Yepifanova – who beat Cal’s Berta Passola Folch, 6-1, 6-4, in the quarters – in Monday’s semis at 10:30 a.m. PT.
 
Cal’s top-seeded and ninth-ranked Wiersholm and Jessica Alsola bested Oregon’s sixth-seeded and 56th-ranked Sophie Luescher and Uxia Martinez Moral, 8-6, in the doubles quarters to book a spot against Washington’s Astrid Olsen and Alexia Jacobs in the semifinals on Monday at noon.
 
Viller Moeller paired with freshman Mao Mushika to win twice in doubles Sunday, with a quarterfinal victory over Tian Yu Dong and Juliette Daries, 8-2, putting them in the semis against Stanford’s third-seeded and 60th-ranked Yepifanova and Connie Ma. That match will start after a suitable amount of rest for Viller Moeller and Yepifanova, whose singles semifinal precedes their doubles battle.
 
The ITA regionals end Tuesday.
 
ITA Northwest Regional Championships
Oct. 15, 2023, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Stadium
 
Cal Results
 
Main Draw Doubles Round of 16
[1] No. 9 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. India Houghton/Valencia Xu (Stanford), 8-1
[7] Hannah Viller Moeller/Mao Mushika (Cal) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin/Melissa Sakar (UW), 8-4
 
Main Draw Doubles Quarterfinal Round
[1] No. 9 Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. [6] No. 56 Sophie Luescher/Uxia Martinez Moyal (Oregon), 8-6
[7] Hannah…