CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - An early-season instant classic went the wrong way for No. 16 Stanford on Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinal dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 9 Virginia. The loss pushes Stanford to 2-1 on the early season.
It didn't take long for the tension to build as the doubles point came down to tight finishes on all three courts. Ana Geller and Niluka Madurawe held on for a 7-5 win on court three, right before Valencia Xu and Alexandra Yepifanova fell by the same score on court two.
After being down 4-0 on court one, Angelica Blake and Connie Ma stormed back to even things at 4-4. The duo forced a tiebreak in which they gained a 4-0 lead before having to fight off a set point at 6-5, ultimately winning 8-6 to give the Cardinal an early advantage.
Four of the six singles matches went the distance, but it was smooth sailing for the freshman Xu who gave Stanford its second point of the day on court five with a 6-3, 6-2 win. The Cavaliers then rattled off three straight wins in singles on courts four, three and two. Yepifanova was up 5-2 in the third set but failed to seal the deal to UVA.
Sara Choy battled on court six to bring the match back even at 3-3 with a three-set win and all eyes focused on court one. Ma dropped the first set 6-2 but earned a hard-fought tiebreak victory to claim the second against the defending NCAA singles national champion. The two traded blows in the third but it was Virginia finding the finish line to advance to the ITA Team National Indoor Championships in February.
Stanford is set to return to action next week, back on The Farm, hosting San Francisco on Feb. 3.
No. 9 Virginia 4, No. 16 Stanford 3
DOUBLES
1. #38 Angelica Blake/Connie Ma (STAN) d. Amber O'Dell/Emma Navarro (UVA) 7-6(6)
2. Elaine Chervinsky/Natasha Subhash (UVA) d. Valencia Xu/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 7-5
3. Ana Geller/Niluka Madurawe (STAN) d. Sofia Munera/Hibah Shaikh (UVA) 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
SINGLES
1. Emma Navarro (UVA) d. #9 Connie Ma (STAN) 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4
2. #90 Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) d. #21 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
3. #29 Natasha Subhash (UVA) d. Angelica Blake (STAN) 7-6(9), 6-1
4. Sofia Munera (UVA) d. Ana Geller (STAN) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
5. Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Amber O'Dell (UVA) 6-3, 6-2
6. Sara Choy (STAN) d. Sara Ziodato (UVA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 6, 1