WOMEN’S TENNIS KICKS OFF SEASON AT THE CAL NIKE INVITATIONAL

9/29/2008

BERKELEY, Calif. - Junior Aileen Tsan and freshman Gayane Sarkisian teamed up to win the consolation bracket of the blue doubles division at the Cal Nike Invitational, held over the weekend (Sept. 26-28) in Berkeley, Calif.

After falling in the round of 32 to eventual winners Ashlee Brown and Sianna Simmons of Arizona State (8-6), Tsan and Sarkisian ran off three straight victories in the consolation bracket. That included a 9-7 win over Santa Clara’s Carmen Pham and Courtney Hall in the final.

Tsan also advanced to the consolation final of the blue singles bracket, falling to Fresno State’s Laura Pola (6-1, 6-3) in the final. Tsan, who won three straight matches to reach the consolation final, finished the tournament with a 3-2 singles record and a 3-1 doubles mark. Sarkisian, who hails from Uppsala, Sweden, finished the tourney with a 2-2 singles record and a 3-1 doubles mark.

Freshman Clarisse Baca and senior Joyce Martinez Gutierrez reached the semifinals of the blue doubles bracket before falling to Long Beach State’s Debora Armstrong and Lisa Sutton, 8-4. Baca reached the Round of 16 in the blue singles bracket as well.

Senior Luba Schifris and sophomore Milica Zivanovic also played at the tournament, rounding out the six Hornets who competed at the event. Complete results for each player can be found below the story.

Sacramento State junior Katrina Zheltova, who is the reigning two-time Big Sky Conference MVP as well as receiving All-America honors last season, did not play at the Cal Nike Invite. Instead, she will begin play at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif., later this week. The ITA All-American Championships are considered the premier hard court event of the fall collegiate season, featuring the top players in Div. I. Zheltova finished the 2008 spring season ranked as the 28th best player in the nation.

Gold Singles

GAYANE SARKISIAN
Round of 32 - lost to Marina Cossou (Cal), 6-0, 6-0
Consolation Round One - def. Romina Nedakova (BYU), 6-1, 6-2
Consolation Quarterfinals - lost to Hannah Grady (Long Beach State), 6-1, 6-2

LUBA SCHIFRIS
Round of 32 - lost to Anastasia Petukhova (Fresno State), 6-0, 6-1
Consolation Round One - lost to Sarah Landsman (Arizona), 7-6 (1), 6-4

MILICA ZIVANOVIC
Round of 32 - lost to Melanie Gloria (Fresno State), 6-1, 6-0
Consolation Round One - def. Svenja Arens (Pacific), 6-1, 7-5
Consolation Quarterfinals - lost to Tijana Koprivica (Minnesota), 6-1, 6-1

Blue Singles

CLARISSE BACA
Round of 32 - def. Katarina Huba (Nevada), 6-1, 6-1
Round of 16 - lost to Danon Beatty (Fresno State), 6-3, 6-0
Consolation Round One - lost to Caroline Stevens (Nevada), 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (4)

JOYCE MARTINEZ GUTIERREZ
Round of 32 - lost to Rachael Dillon (Cal), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
Consolation Round One - lost to Lize Ezhova (BYU), 6-1, 6-4

AILEEN TSAN
Round of 32 - lost to Ariane Masschelein (Arizona), 6-3, 6-3
Consolation Round One - def. Ali Van Horne (Arizona State), 6-0, 2-6, 1-0 (8)
Consolation Quarterfinals - def. Bruna Paes (Fresno State), 6-2, 6-0
Consolation Semifinals - def. Liza Ezhova (BYU), Default
Consolation Final - lost to Laura Pola (Fresno State), 6-1, 6-3

Gold Doubles

LUBA SCHIFRIS/MILICA ZIVANOVIC
Round of 16 - lost to Desiree Stone/Randi Schuler (UC Davis), 8-4
Consolation Quarterfinals - lost to Alessandra Ferrazi/Tijana Koprivica (Minnesota), 8-3

Blue Doubles

AILEEN TSAN/GAYANE SARKISIAN
Round of 16 - lost to Ashlee Brown/Sianna Simmons (Arizona State), 8-6
Consolation Quarterfinals - def. Jessy Mekpoh/Sarah Oudomvilay (San Francisco), Default
Consolation Semifinals - def. Isabelle Hoy/Kacie Wagner (Santa Clara), 8-3
Consolation Finals - def. Carmen Pham/Courtney Hull (Santa Clara), 9-7
Consolation Round Robin - def. Catie Visico/Stephany Chang (Cal), 9-7

CLARISSE BACA/JOYCE MARTINEZ GUTIERREZ
Round of 16 - def. Carmen Pham/Courtney Hull (Santa Clara), 8-0
Quarterfinals - def. Marion Ravelojaona/Rachael Dillon (Cal), 8-2
Semifinals - lost to Deborah Armstrong/Lisa Sutton (Long Beach State), 8-4