STANFORD, Calif.- Carol Zhao captured her first career singles title on Tuesday, defeating teammate Taylor Davidson 7-6 (4), 6-1 in the final of the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Davidson and Zhao, who combined for a 56-15 overall record last year as rookies, advanced to the championship match after prevailing in three-set victories during Monday’s semifinal round.
The regional tournament has traditionally served as a showcase for Stanford’s superior depth, and this year’s event was no different. Davidson and Zhao were facing off in the first all-Stanford singles final since 2011, when Nicole Gibbs defeated Mallory Burdette 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
Zhao became the fifth consecutive Cardinal player to claim the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional crown, following Kristie Ahn (2013, 2010), Krista Hardebeck (2012) and Nicole Gibbs (2011).
With both players battling windy conditions, Davidson led 4-1 in the first set before Zhao rallied to win the frame in a tiebreaker.
"Mixed emotions for sure, because I was playing my teammate," said Zhao. "Obviously, we want each other to do well, and ourselves to do well. I don't think we played our best match today, because it was really windy. But at the end of the day, I think we finished well."
"It was really gusty, a lot more windy that it was during the entire tournament," continued Zhao. "So that was definitely something to get used to, because for the majority of the tournament it was not windy at all. It's just the process of trying to get used to it, and thankfully, at the end of the first set I got used to it."
Zhao clinched a spot in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, scheduled for Nov. 6-9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Davidson could still earn an at-large berth in singles, as the draw will be announced at a later date.
In doubles, Davidson and Zhao teamed up to reach the semifinals while playing in just their second tournament.
It’s been an impressive start to the season for Davidson and Zhao, who registered a runner-up doubles finish at the Riviera ITA All-American Championships two weeks ago. In main draw singles play, Davidson was eliminated in the first round after emerging from qualifying while Zhao reached the quarterfinals.
Joining Stanford in the ITA's Northwest Region are the following: California, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Pacific, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle, UC Davis, Washington and Washington State.
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Round of 128
Oct. 10: Ellen Tsay d. Nicole Long (Oregon) 6-3, 6-2
Oct. 10: Taylor Davidson d. Anneka Watts (Fresno State) 6-1, 6-1
Oct. 10: Krista Hardebeck d. Christiana Ferrari (Pacific) 6-1, 6-2
Round of 64
Oct. 10: Ellen Tsay d. Sofya Malysheva (Fresno State) 6-0, 6-1
Oct. 10: Taylor Davidson d. Sophie van den Aarssen (Portland) 6-1, 6-1
Oct. 10: Maja Mladenovic (Portland) d. Krista Hardebeck 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
Oct. 10: Caroline Doyle d. Daria Savchenko (Sacramento State) 6-0, 6-0
Oct. 10: Carol Zhao d. Miki Kobayashi (Washington) 6-0, 6-1
Round of 32
Oct. 11: Ellen Tsay d. Maria Biryukova (Washington State) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
Oct. 11: Taylor Davidson d. Samanta Polayes (Gonzaga) 6-0, 6-3
Oct. 11: Caroline Doyle d. Anne Susdorf (Fresno State) 6-0, 6-0
Oct. 11: Carol Zhao d. Donika Bashota (Washington State) 6-3, 6-0
Round of 16
Oct. 11: Lynn Chi (California) d. Ellen Tsay 6-1, 6-4
Oct. 11: Taylor Davidson d. Danielle Flores (Saint Mary’s) 6-0, 6-4
Oct. 11: Caroline Doyle d. Julija Lukac (Washington State) 6-0, 6-1
Oct. 11: Carol Zhao d. Klara Fabikova (California) 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-4
Quarterfinals
Oct. 12: Taylor Davidson d. Lynn Chi (California) 6-2, 6-1
Oct. 12: Caroline Doyle d. Lucia Butkovska (Portland) 6-2, 6-2
Oct. 12: Carol Zhao d. Maegan Manasse (California) 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
Semifinals
Oct. 13: Taylor Davidson d. Caroline Doyle 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Oct. 13: Carol Zhao d. Karla Popovic (California) – 7-6 (1), 5-7, 6-1
Championship Match
Oct. 14: Carol Zhao d. Taylor Davidson 7-6 (4), 6-1
Round of 32
Oct. 11: Caroline Doyle/Ellen Tsay d. Lyann Hoang/Cecilia Estlander (California) 8-2
Oct. 11: Taylor Davidson/Carol Zhao d. Sofia Holmberg/Thyra Taune (San Francisco) 8-2
Round of 16
Oct. 12: Caroline Doyle/Ellen Tsay d. Julianna Bacelear/Malin Cubukcu (San Jose State) 8-1
Oct. 12: Taylor Davidson/Carol Zhao d. Elianne Douglas-Miron/Riko Shimizu (Washington) 8-2
Quarterfinals
Oct. 12: Caroline Doyle/Ellen Tsay d. Nia Rose/Alyssa Tobita (Oregon) 8-4
Oct. 12: Taylor Davidson/Carol Zhao d. Lynn Chi/Karla Popovic (California) 8-0
Semifinals
Oct. 13: Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (California) d. Caroline Doyle/Ellen Tsay 6-4, 6-4
Oct. 13: Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (California) d. Taylor Davidson/Carol Zhao 7-5, 1-6, 1-0 (2)
Championship Match
Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (California) d. Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (California) 6-1, 6-4