Taylor MadeTaylor Made
Women's Tennis

Taylor Made

STANFORD, Calif. - Junior Taylor Davidson spent the first half of the dual match season playing No. 1 singles for the first time in her career.

Responsible for anchoring the Cardinal until the return of 2015 NCAA Singles runner-up and three-time All-American Carol Zhao, Davidson produced a mixed 4-5 record that featured close calls against several highly-ranked players.

But Davidson also gained valuable experience playing under pressure, which paid off in the best way possible on Saturday afternoon at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.

Clinching arguably the biggest match of her career, Davidson rallied for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rutuja Bhosale to fuel No. 15 Stanford’s 4-3 victory over No. 19 Texas A&M and secure a spot in next week’s NCAA round of 16 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tied at 3-3, everyone’s focus shifted to court two, where Davidson had managed to split sets and buy time for a Cardinal comeback. It looked even better when Davidson jumped ahead 4-0 in the third set, only to have Bhosale convert the next four games. Davidson then picked up a critical service break and held for the dramatic victory, her second clincher of the season and only the sixth of her career.

The result is Stanford (16-5, 9-1 Pac-12) advancing to Thursday’s NCAA round of 16 against longtime rival Florida, quizzically seeded No. 2 in the postseason draw but ranked No. 1 in the country. It’s a tantalizing matchup better suited for the later rounds, considering the two powerhouses have combined to win four of the last six NCAA championships. Adding some sizzle is that Stanford has actually won six of the last nine meetings, including a 4-3 victory back on Feb. 28 on The Farm that represents one of the Gators’ two losses.

The Cardinal came real close to not getting that second opportunity. Texas A&M (17-11, 7-6 SEC) effectively played the role of spoiler, looking to become the first nonconference opponent to win an NCAA match at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since Florida in the 2011 final.

The Aggies grabbed the doubles point for a 1-0 lead but there was no panic from Stanford, which had already defeated three opponents this season (Florida, California and USC) despite losing doubles.

Freshman Melissa Lord, who has quietly won five of six overall, continued her steady play at the No. 6 spot with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Eva Paalma and even the match at 1-1.

Playing her final match on The Farm, senior Krista Hardebeck made it count with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Ines Deheza at the No. 4 spot. One of the nation’s hottest players, Hardebeck has won 19 of 20 with only one loss since January.

Texas A&M knotted the match at 2-2 following Rachel Pierson’s 6-4, 6-1 victory over junior Caroline Doyle at the No. 3 position.

Freshman Caroline Lampl then collected her team-leading 26th win to give Stanford a 3-2 lead, defeating Domenica Gonzalez 7-6 (4), 6-1 in a battle of freshmen on court five.

The Cardinal needed just one of the two remaining matches but had dropped the first set in both. After losing a tough first set, Zhao fell further behind in the second before falling to Saska Gavrilovska 7-6 (9), 6-1.

With everything riding on court two, Davidson grinded out her third three-set victory of the season and improved to 11-7 over her career in such matches.

Stanford owns a 138-18 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. Stanford must be considered a national championship contender regardless of seed, considering the Cardinal has won 10 of its last 12 NCAA Tournament matches when seeded lower than its opponent.

Three years ago in Urbana, Ill., the 12th-seeded Cardinal became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title, knocking off No. 5 USC, No. 4 Georgia and No. 1 Florida before knocking off No. 3 Texas A&M in the final. That championship also extended Stanford's record streak of 37 years in a row with at least one NCAA title and paved the way for a 19th consecutive Directors' Cup. Three years earlier in Athens, Ga., Stanford captured the 2010 NCAA championship as a No. 8 seed, with No. 1 Baylor, No. 3 Florida and No. 6 Notre Dame serving as victims.

No. 15 Stanford 4, No. 19 Texas A&M 3

DOUBLES
1) No. 35 Paalma/Pierson (TAMU) d. No. 5 Davidson/Doyle (STAN) 6-2
2) No. 75 Bhosale/Anna Mamalat (TAMU) d. No. 31 Lord/Zhao (STAN) 6-1
3) Hardebeck/Lampl (STAN) led Deheza/Gavrilovska (TAMU) 4-3, susp.
Order of Finish: 2, 1

SINGLES
1) No. 24 Saska Gavrilovska (TAMU) d. No. 25 Carol Zhao (STAN) 7-6 (9), 6-1
2) No. 46 Taylor Davidson (STAN) d. No. 69 Rutuja Bhosale (TAMU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
3) Rachel Pierson (TAMU) d. No. 67 Caroline Doyle (STAN) 6-4, 6-1
4) No. 100 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) d. Ines Deheza (TAMU) 6-2, 6-4
5) Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Domenica Gonzalez (TAMU) 7-6 (4), 6-1
6) Melissa Lord (STAN) d. Eva Paalma (TAMU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 5, 1, 2