Quarterfinal Win – Stanford University Athletics

OJAI, Calif. – No. 8 Stanford took care of business in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon, clinching a 4-1 win over No. 50 Arizona. The top-seeded Cardinal advances to face No. 23 Washington on Friday at noon, the tournament’s No. 4 seed.

The win pushes Stanford’s record to 19-2 overall and extends its win streak to 16 matches. The Cardinal is now 14-1 all-time at the Pac-12 Tournament.

It was a tough battle on all three doubles courts, but the Cardinal prevailed with a pair of 6-4 victories, first on court one and clinched on court three. Court two was a point away from a 7-5 victory of its own when the point was sealed. No. 18 Angelica Blake and Alexis Blokhina have now won eight straight matches on the top court and are 7-1 against Pac-12 opponents, while Connie Ma and Valencia Xu have won seven straight on court three and are 9-1 against conference foes. 

The Cardinal took five of the first six sets in singles play, including a dramatic 10-8 tiebreak score for No. 83 Blokhina on court four. No. 24 Alexandra Yepifanova was the first to finish on court win, earning a 6-4, 6-3 win over Reece Carter. Arizona’s lone point of the day came on court six, as Emma Sun fell in straight-set fashion, but the Cardinal would complete the victory with a pair of victories on courts three and four. Just minutes separating the two, Blokhina finished a 6-3 second set before No. 43 Blake dispatched Kayla Wilkins 6-4, 6-4 for the clincher. No. 18 Ma was leading in the third set on two and Xu had a one-set lead in a tight second set on five when the match was abandoned. 

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#8 Stanford 4, #50 Arizona 1
DOUBLES
1. #18 Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. Reece Carter/Salma Ziouti (ARIZ) 6-4
2. Sara Choy/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) vs. Parker Fry/Kayla Wilkins (ARIZ) 6-5 DNF
3. Connie Ma/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Midori Castillo-Meza/Belen Nevenhoven (ARIZ) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3
 
SINGLES
1. #24 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. Reece Carter (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-3
2. #18 Connie Ma (STAN) vs. Salma Ziouti (ARIZ) 6-4, 2-6, 3-2 DNF
3. #43 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. Kayla Wilkins (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-4
4. #83 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. Midori Castillo-Meza (ARIZ) 7-6(8), 6-3
5. Valencia Xu (STAN) vs. Lexi Ryngler (ARIZ) 6-4, 5-5 DNF
6. Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ) d. Emma Sun (STAN) 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 4, 3