TORONTO - Sophomore Carol Zhao captured a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, pairing with Gabriela Dabrowski for a 6-1, 4-6, 10-5 victory over Mexico’s Victoria Rodriguez and Marcela Zacarias.
The win was particularly rewarding for Zhao, who originally wasn’t on the Canadian Pan Am team until an injury to Sharon Fichman opened up a spot for the 20-year old from Richmond Hill, Ontario.
“It feels amazing,” Zhao said. “You don’t get many chances to play in games like this in your home town. Winning it on home court was really incredible.”
Zhao also reached the quarterfinals of the singles draw, prevailing in a pair of three-setters before eventually falling to Rodriguez.
The 2015 NCAA singles runner-up, Zhao was named an All-American in both singles and doubles for the second consecutive season in 2014-15. Zhao concluded her sophomore season at 35-5 overall, 21-2 in duals (all at the No. 1 spot), 14-3 in tournament play and 22-3 against nationally-ranked opponents.
The ITA Northwest Region Player to Watch, Zhao was also tabbed an All-Pac-12 First Team pick and joined Taylor Davidson as the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year. Zhao was equally successful in the classroom, earning Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team accolades.