TUCSON, Ariz.- No. 73 Arizona delivered an impressive weekend at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, securing three victories and highlighting the slate with wins over No. 25 UCF and No. 29 Houston before closing the weekend with a 4-3 victory over Grand Canyon.
The Wildcats opened the weekend Friday with a statement win over No. 25 UCF, defeating the Knights 4-3 in the first meeting between the two programs. Arizona set the tone early by claiming the doubles point, as
Zoya Chulak and
Ciara Moore defeated Gatell/Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-3 and
Josie Usereau and
Maria Garcia earned a 6-3 win over No. 80 Bergler/Seye (UCF).
Arizona carried that momentum into singles play.
Martyna Ostrzygalo dominated on court one with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Olivia Bergler (UCF), while
Tanvi Narendran added a 7-6 (8), 6-0 win against Vladislava Andreevskaya (UCF). With the match on the line, Chulak battled through a dramatic three-set contest to clinch the victory, defeating Jade Psnoka (UCF) 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(4) and sealing Arizona's upset over the ranked Knights.
Arizona returned to the courts Sunday morning and delivered another ranked victory, edging No. 29 Houston 4-3 in a tightly contested match. The Wildcats once again took control early by securing the doubles point behind strong performances from Usereau and Garcia, who defeated Krokhotina/Sepa (UH) 6-1, and Narendran and Ostrzygalo, who topped Drame/Morozova (UH) 7-5.
In singles, Usereau earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Alexia Lavinia Puiac (UH) on court two, and Garcia added a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win against Petja Drame (UH) on court five. The match ultimately came down to court three, where Moore delivered the clincher in a gritty three-set battle, defeating Chems Doha Zeghlouli (UH) 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3 to secure Arizona's second Top-30 win of the weekend.
The Wildcats capped the weekend with a 4-3 win over Grand Canyon in Sunday's second match, improving to 14-0 all-time against the Lopes. GCU claimed the doubles point with wins from Crossman/Deaifi (GCU) and Metwally/Suciu (GCU).
The Wildcats answered in singles, starting with a 6-1, 6-3 win from Chulak over Amalia Suciu (GCU) on court six. Garcia followed with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Gala Arangio (GCU) on court four, and Narendran added a 6-2, 6-3 win over Dania Deaifi (GCU) on court five. With the match tied at 3-3, Ostrzygalo clinched the team victory on court one, outlasting Bella Crossman (GCU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in a three-set battle.
With three wins on the weekend, Arizona builds strong momentum heading into next weekend's rivalry matchup at Arizona State.
