CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - She just keeps winning.
You can't say Connie Ma's run through the NCAA Singles Championship this week in Illinois is out of the blue, given her strong play all season long, but it will certainly be a highlight of the year and in the record books for the Cardinal, as the rookie has advanced to the final match, set to play Texas' Peyton Stearns on Saturday, May 28.
Ma becomes the fifth freshman in Stanford history to advance to the championship match in the NCAA Singles tournament but first since Amber Liu in 2003. She's done so by beating opponents from UCF, Florida, USC, NC State and North Carolina to this point. Her wins over USC and North Carolina were rematches from earlier this season, as Ma improved to 2-0 all-time against Salma Ewing and Fiona Crawley. Ma is just the 14th unseeded player since event started in 1982 to advance to the championship match.
Saturday's match will also be a rematch, as Ma is the only player to have beaten Stearns all season long, a 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-2 victory at Taube Family Tennis Stadium in late February.
Ma's run has featured success through all types of conditions, most notably a wild up-and-down match against USC's Ewing in the Round of 16 with howling winds from start to finish. She battled back from being down in the third set, and down again in the third-set tiebreak to eek out the 8-6 win and advance. Similarly in the quarterfinals, Ma had to fight off three set points in the second set, winning the last five points of the match to clinch the tiebreak and move on.
Fellow rookie Alexandra Yepifanova was also in the NCAA Singles draw, advancing to the second round after a win over Petra Sedlackova from Alabama. There, she put forth a valiant effort, earning set points in both frames against Texas' Stearns, but ultimately fell 7-5, 7-6(4). Angelica Blake and Ma appeared in the first round of the doubles tournament but lost, 6-2, 6-4, to Texas' Stearns and Allura Zamarripa.
Stanford boasts 14 NCAA singles champions, its last coming in 2013 as Nicole Gibbs won her second straight title.NCAA SINGLES FIRST ROUND
May 23: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) d. No. 116 Marie Mattel (UCF) 7-5, 6-3
May 23: No. 23 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. No. 68 Petra Sedlackova (ALA) 6-3, 6-1
NCAA SINGLES SECOND ROUND
May 24: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) d. No. 12 McCartney Kessler (FLA) 7-5, 6-4
May 24: No. 2 Peyton Stearns (TEX) d. No. 23 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) 7-5, 7-6(4)
NCAA SINGLES ROUND OF 16
May 25: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) d. No. 50 Salma Ewing (USC) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(6)
NCAA SINGLES QUARTERFINALS
May 26: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) d. No. 48 Abigail Rencheli (NCST) 6-2, 7-6(6)
NCAA SINGLES SEMIFINALS
May 27: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) d. No. 55 Fiona Crawley (UNC) 6-4, 6-4
NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
May 28: No. 26 Connie Ma (STAN) vs. No. 2 Peyton Stearns (TEX)
NCAA DOUBLES FIRST ROUND
May 24: No. 11 Peyton Stearns/Allura Zamarripa (TEX) d. No. 19 Angelica Blake/Connie Ma (STAN) 6-4, 6-2