CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The No. 18 UCLA women’s tennis team was outlasted by No. 24 Iowa State Saturday in a 4-3 decision at Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend first-round contest saw momentum swing in the direction of the Cyclones as singles play progressed. The Bruins (1-1) have an opportunity to rebound Sunday at 7 a.m. PT, when they face FIU in the consolation match. Iowa State (3-1) meets host Miami (Fla.) for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
UCLA was unable to capitalize on a 3-1 lead, built with the doubles point and singles wins by Ava Catanzarite and Fangran Tian. Miska Kadleckova clinched the victory for the Cyclones.
Iowa State secured an early advantage in doubles play, as Thasaporn Naklo and Anna Supapitch Kuearum defeated Catanzarite and Tian by a 6-2 score. Vanessa Ong and Sasha Vagramov answered for the Bruins, handing Kadleckova and Sofia Cabezas a 6-3 loss and turning the focus to the top-20 matchup on Court 1. No. 11 Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle ultimately prevailed in that one, beating No. 17 Ange Oby Kajuru and Chie Kezuka 6-3 for the opening point. Hance and Wagle have now teamed to go 4-0 against nationally-ranked foes in 2022-23.
No. 94 Tian and No. 42 Catanzarite each triumphed over a ranked opponent in singles play, their fifth and fourth such wins this season, respectively. Tian bested No. 57 Naklo 6-1, 6-2 on the top court and Catanzarite got the better of No. 80 Supapitch Kuearum on Court 3, 6-4, 6-3. Those victories surrounded a 6-1, 6-2 win by Kezuka versus Vagramov on Court 6, making the overall score 3-1 in favor of UCLA.
Kajuru…
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