STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford left no doubt in a dominant display of tennis on Friday afternoon, soaring past 10th-seeded Ohio State 4-1 to advance to the NCAA quarterfinal round. The seven-seeded Cardinal improves to 24-2 overall and has now won 21 matches in a row.
Stanford set the done early with an impressive doubles point, winning all three courts. Early on, the Cardinal held leads of 3-0, 4-0 and 4-0 across the three stadium matches, showcasing what a tall task an upset would be for the Buckeyes. Stanford has now won 13 straight doubles points, with Sara Choy and Alexandra Yepifanova finishing first for their third straight win, followed by a 6-2 win from Connie Ma and Valencia Xu on court three, their 11th straight win. No. 16 Angelica Blake and Alexis Blokhina were able to earn a ranked win on court win, clinching the winning point at the same time court three finished.
In another tone setter, No. 44 Blake was unstoppable on court three in singles play, earning a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Isabelle Boulais. No. 29 Yepifanova rebounded from suffering her first loss in nearly three months last week, racing past No. 30 Sydni Ratliff 6-2, 6-1, giving Stanford a 3-0 lead. The lone point for Ohio State came on court two in a top-20 matchup between No. 18 Ma and No. 20 Irina Cantos Siemers, with the latter picking up a 6-1, 6-4 win.
All eyes descended upon the back courts, where Valencia Xu and Sara Choy were each up a set on courts five and six, and No. 84 Blokhina battled back from down 6-0, 4-1 to force a second-set tiebreak that she won, 7-5.
Xu would be the clincher, a 7-5, 6-0 win over No. 89 Shelly Bereznyak, a player who had not lost a match since February. The ranked win is Xu's third of the season.
The Cardinal will now travel to Orlando, Fla., the final site for the NCAA Tournament, to face No. 2 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 17. #7 Stanford 4, #10 Ohio State 1
DOUBLES
1. #16 Angelica Blake/Alexis Blokhina (STAN) d. #37 Irina Cantos Siemers/Sydni Ratliff (OSU) 6-1
2. Sara Choy/Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. Shelly Bereznyak/Isabelle Boulais (OSU) 6-2
3. Connie Ma/Valencia Xu (STAN) d. Kolie Allen/Lucia Marzal (OSU) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
SINGLES
1. #29 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN) d. #30 Sydni Ratliff (OSU) 6-2, 6-1
2. #20 Irina Cantos Siemers (OSU) d. #18 Connie Ma (STAN) 6-1, 6-4
3. #44 Angelica Blake (STAN) d. Isabelle Boulais (OSU) 6-0, 6-0
4. #84 Alexis Blokhina (STAN) vs. Lucia Marzal (OSU) 0-6, 7-6(5) DNF
5. Valencia Xu (STAN) d. #89 Shelly Bereznyak (OSU) 7-5, 6-0
6. Sara Choy (STAN) vs. Danielle Wilson (OSU) 6-4, 4-5 DNF
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 5