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OJAI, Calif. – Seventh-seeded Oregon dropped a tough battle to No. 10-seed Colorado in the first round of the 2023 Pac-12 Women’s Tennis Tournament Wednesday, 4-2, at Weil Tennis Academy.
Oregon (11-10), ranked No. 58 in the latest ITA poll, faced its sixth consecutive ranked opponent in No. 63 Colorado (12-11) and seventh over its last eight matches overall. Eight of UO’s 10 losses have come to teams ranked in the ITA’s top 65.
Despite getting an early 6-2 victory from Jo-Yee Chan and Madisen Olsen at No. 3 doubles, the Buffaloes stole the doubles points with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. The Ducks’ 79th-ranked duo of Sophie Luescher and Martinez Moral fell to Antonioa Balzert and Aya El Sayed on court one, 6-3, and Myah Petchey and Karin Young suffered a 7-5 setback to Elys Ventura and Mila Stanojevic.
CU staked a 2-0 lead after Carri Hayes’ 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 over Olsen. Martinez Moral earned UO’s first point of the day, winning 6-4, 6-3 on No. 3 over Stanojevic, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
The win marked Martinez Moral’s 100th combined career victory at Oregon, including fall and spring matches.
Luescher evened the score at 2-2 with her 6-1, 6-4 win over Balzert at the top spot in the order before the Buffs clinched the match with wins on courts four and two.
El Sayed got past Young at No. 4, 6-4, 6-4, and Petchey was forced to retire in the third set of her match with Ventura. Petchey claimed the opening set, 6-4, before splitting, 2-6. Ventura led 3-0 when the match was decided.
Chan, playing on court five, owned a 5-4 lead in the third set of her match with Betina Tokac that went unfinished. Chan recovered from a 6-4 loss in set one to take the second set 6-4.
Oregon is now 4-6 all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament and 4-2 in the first round. UO is now 14-12 all-time against the Buffaloes and saw its three-match winning streak in the series come to an end.
Match #21 | Pac-12 Tournament First Round
April 26, 2023
Weil Tennis Academy
Ojai, Calif.
No. 10 Colorado 4, No. 7 Oregon 2
DOUBLES:
1. Antonia Balzert/Aya El Sayed, COLO def. Sophie Luescher/Uxia Martinez Moral, ORE – 6-3
2. Elys Ventura/Mila Stanojevic, COLO def. Myah Petchey/Karin Young, ORE – 7-5
3. Jo-Yee Chan/Madisen Olsen, ORE def. Ellen Puzak/Betina Tokac, COLO – 6-2
Order of finish:…
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