STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford opened defense of its NCAA title with a 4-0 shutout of New Mexico State on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Making its 38th consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal (23-1, 10-0 Pac-12) wasted little time in dispatching of New Mexico State (15-10, 3-2 WAC) with dominant efforts in doubles and singles.
Riding an 18-match winning streak as one of the hottest teams in the country, Stanford also improved to 45-5 during the month of May since 2010, a stretch that has produced four NCAA championships.
Meanwhile, the Cardinal has won 60 of its last 63 matches at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Stanford needed only 22 minutes to lock up the doubles point, making it official when Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon won 6-0 at the No. 2 spot.
The Cardinal extended its lead to 3-0 thanks to wins from postseason veterans Melissa Lord and Caroline Lampl. Improving to 16-0 all-time in NCAA team competition, Lord was rarely tested in a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 before Lampl won her 21st straight match with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph on court three.
The clincher came from freshman Niluka Madurawe, making her postseason debut at the No. 6 spot. Madurawe, who was appearing in only her third dual of the season, defeated Chloe Gavino 6-2, 6-2.
The most decorated program in college history and the winningest program on The Farm, Stanford has won 19 of the possible 37 NCAA championships. Stanford owns a 154-19 all-time record in the postseason since the NCAA Tournament went to its present format in 1982. The Cardinal has won 20 national titles overall in school history, also claiming the 1978 AIAW crown.
NCAA first and second round competition features four teams playing in a single-elimination format. In a format change for 2019, the winner of each site advances to super-regional competition on May 10-11, with two teams playing in a single-elimination format. The super-regional winners advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the eight teams will compete for the national championship May 17-19.
No. 3 Stanford 4, New Mexico State 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 19 Lampl/Kimberly Yee (STAN) led Chawla/Gavi Kalaga (NMSU) 5-1, unfinished
2) No. 29 Arbuthnott/Gordon (STAN) d. Harlas/Rubio (NMSU) 6-0
3) No. 57 Lord/Madurawe d. Gavino/Keijzerwaard (NMSU) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 24 Michaela Gordon (STAN) led Rebecca Keijzerwaard (NMSU) 6-0, 4-4, unfinished
2) No. 29 Melissa Lord (STAN) d. Lindsay Harlas (NMSU) 6-0, 6-0
3) No. 66 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Harsha Challa (NMSU) 6-1, 6-1
4) No. 44 Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) led Neus Torregrosa (NMSU) 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
5) No. 108 Janice Shin (STAN) led Yadira Rubio (NMSU) 6-2, 4-0, unfinished
6) Niluka Madurawe (STAN) d. Chloe Gavino (NMSU) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 6
No. 31 Syracuse 4, No. 35 Wisconsin 2
DOUBLES
1) No. 55 Knutson/Ramirez (SYR) d. Keberle/Makarova (WIS) 6-1
2) No. 81 Golubovskaya/Sofya Treshcheva (SYR) d. Markham/Pick (WIS) 6-1
3) Hegab/Yusupova (SYR) led Castellano/Christina Zordani (WIS) 4-2, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 88 Sara Castellano (WIS) d. No. 14 Gabriela Knutson (SYR) 6-3, 6-2
2) Lexi Keberle (WIS) d. Sofya Golubovskaya (SYR) 6-1, 6-3
3) No. 99 Miranda Ramirez (SYR) d. Anna Makarova (WIS) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
4) Guzal Yusupova (SYR) d. Ava Markham (WIS) 7-6 (5), 6-1
5) Maryann Rompf (WIS) led Libi Mesh (SYR) 0-6, 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
6) Dina Hegab (SYR) d. Melissa Pick (WIS) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 6, 3, 4