[ColoradoTree]

Yepifanova drops another service game, but then breaks back again, and she trails 3-2 in the second. She can't keep counting on breaking back, though, so she really needs to hold here. 

Meanwhile, Ma breaks to open the second set, so she leads 6-4, 1-0. 

---

I had to miss a few games due to a work call, but it looks like Yepifanova just closed it out! The scorecards reflect Alsola leading 4-3, but she must have won three straight and the scorecard just wasn't updated the previous changeover.

---

For her part, Ma remains up a break, 4-3 in the second set. Big service game upcoming for her.... Just eight more points, Connie. Eight more points.

---

Welp, a bad time for a listless service game. Ma seemed out of it, Kozyreva breaks, and it's 4-4. Time to break back yet again....

---

And she gets to 0-40 up on Kozyreva's serve before Kozyreva closes to 30-40, but then Ma gets it! She breaks back (yes, yet again), and she's up 6-4, 5-4 with the match on her serve coming up. Four more points.

---

Up 15-0.

---

30-0. Then she sprays a backhand wide after a long rally and it's 30-15.

---

40-15 as Kozyreva sails one long.

---

A service winner as Kozyreva can't return it and that's it! A 6-4, 6-4 win over 3rd-seeded Kozyreva, and it's an all-Stanford final in singles and doubles!

[ColoradoTree]

Yepifanova drops another service game, but then breaks back again, and she trails 3-2 in the second. She can't keep counting on breaking back, though, so she really needs to hold here. 

Meanwhile, Ma breaks to open the second set, so she leads 6-4, 1-0. 

---

I had to miss a few games due to a work call, but it looks like Yepifanova just closed it out! The scorecards reflect Alsola leading 4-3, but she must have won three straight and the scorecard just wasn't updated the previous changeover.

---

For her part, Ma remains up a break, 4-3 in the second set. Big service game upcoming for her.... Just eight more points, Connie. Eight more points.

---

Welp, a bad time for a listless service game. Ma seemed out of it, Kozyreva breaks, and it's 4-4. Time to break back yet again....

---

And she gets to 0-40 up on Kozyreva's serve before Kozyreva closes to 30-40, but then Ma gets it! She breaks back (yes, yet again), and she's up 6-4, 5-4 with the match on her serve coming up. Four more points.

---

Up 15-0.

---

30-0. Then she sprays a backhand wide after a long rally and it's 30-15.

---

40-15 as Kozyreva sails one long.

---

A service winner as Kozyreva can't return it and that's it! A 6-4, 6-4 win over 3rd-seeded Kozyreva, and it's an all-Stanford final in singles and doubles!

[ColoradoTree]

With that, Connie Ma and Alexandra Yepifanova qualify for ITA Fall Nationals, held November 4-7 in San Diego. One more Cardinal player will complete the trio heading to San Diego, but will it be Ma's partner or Yepifanova's? My money would be on Blake/Ma to take the doubles final here, but doubles chemistry and momentum is a tricky thing, and these partnerships are still in their infancy, if they even stick once the season starts.

---

I wonder if they’ll play doubles this afternoon but give Yepifanova and Ma a day before the singles final. There’s no reason you have to play the final today. Let them rest, go to class, and we can have a higher-quality match tomorrow. That said, they have the chair umpire lined up, and they’ve probably already arranged to miss class, so we might see more singles today.

[ColoradoTree]

With that, Connie Ma and Alexandra Yepifanova qualify for ITA Fall Nationals, held November 4-7 in San Diego. One more Cardinal player will complete the trio heading to San Diego, but will it be Ma's partner or Yepifanova's? My money would be on Blake/Ma to take the doubles final here, but doubles chemistry and momentum is a tricky thing, and these partnerships are still in their infancy, if they even stick once the season starts.

---

I wonder if they’ll play doubles this afternoon but give Yepifanova and Ma a day before the singles final. There’s no reason you have to play the final today. Let them rest, go to class, and we can have a higher-quality match tomorrow. That said, they have the chair umpire lined up, and they’ve probably already arranged to miss class, so we might see more singles today.

[martyup]

It looks like Yepi is through! 6-2 6-4 over Alsola.

I have quickly become a Yepi fan.

[martyup]

It looks like Yepi is through! 6-2 6-4 over Alsola.

I have quickly become a Yepi fan.

[ColoradoTree]

It looks like Yepi is through! 6-2 6-4 over Alsola.

I have quickly become a Yepi fan.

Oh, the Team Sasha bandwagon is accepting all comers. She's a fun one to watch. That first set was a thing of beauty. Ma-Kozyreva was also great tennis, but it was tenacious and gritty, while Yepifanova was masterful in her shot selection. 

They're warming up for the singles final on Court 1 now!

---

I'm not positive, but this may be the first time they've ever played each other in a formal match. If so, this is pretty cool. If they have played each other (and I'm not finding it), it hasn't been for awhile.

Ma holds in the first game as Yepifanova pounces on a second serve and tries for the line but sends it wide. Then Sasha holds for 1-1.

That return from Yepifanova to make it 15-15! Just painting the lines. And then that rally before Ma barely caught the line on a forehand winner! This is already awesome. That forehand return that barely caught the back line! And Sasha breaks for a 2-1 lead!

[ColoradoTree]

It looks like Yepi is through! 6-2 6-4 over Alsola.

I have quickly become a Yepi fan.

Oh, the Team Sasha bandwagon is accepting all comers. She's a fun one to watch. That first set was a thing of beauty. Ma-Kozyreva was also great tennis, but it was tenacious and gritty, while Yepifanova was masterful in her shot selection. 

They're warming up for the singles final on Court 1 now!

---

I'm not positive, but this may be the first time they've ever played each other in a formal match. If so, this is pretty cool. If they have played each other (and I'm not finding it), it hasn't been for awhile.

Ma holds in the first game as Yepifanova pounces on a second serve and tries for the line but sends it wide. Then Sasha holds for 1-1.

That return from Yepifanova to make it 15-15! Just painting the lines. And then that rally before Ma barely caught the line on a forehand winner! This is already awesome. That forehand return that barely caught the back line! And Sasha breaks for a 2-1 lead!

[martyup]

Does anyone know if Stanford has ever before had all-Stanford players in both the doubles and singles finals?

I wonder if all the other teams have already left Palo Alto while our women battle each other for the championships.

[martyup]

Does anyone know if Stanford has ever before had all-Stanford players in both the doubles and singles finals?

I wonder if all the other teams have already left Palo Alto while our women battle each other for the championships.

[ColoradoTree]

Sasha holds for 3-1, and Ma answers back with a sparkling service hold of her own. 3-2 Yepifanova as they change ends, and Ma breaks for 3-3 after Yepifanova hits a few forehands into the net. Ma then has a fairly straightforward hold for a 4-3 lead. Deciding point on Yepifanova's serve just now, and she takes it! 4-4.

I came into this match expecting a Ma win because she has a higher UTR and is generally regarded as the top player in the class, with Yepifanova #2. But whoever wins, I just want it to be really hard and that they push each other as much as possible. This doesn't necessarily set our lineup for us, of course, but it's a reasonably large data point, especially if one or the other turns it on and pulls away for a dominant win. It's been great tennis so far, but Yepifanova has seemed a bit tighter these last few games than she was against Wong or Alsola. 

You guys, we've just spent four years watching Michaela Gordon hold down the #1 spot in the lineup, including twice for a national championship team. Even if she plays this spring, I'm not sure she beats either one of these players the way they look right now. Don't mind me, I'm just over here imagining Michaela Gordon playing #3 singles and absolutely drubbing everyone she plays.

[ColoradoTree]

Sasha holds for 3-1, and Ma answers back with a sparkling service hold of her own. 3-2 Yepifanova as they change ends, and Ma breaks for 3-3 after Yepifanova hits a few forehands into the net. Ma then has a fairly straightforward hold for a 4-3 lead. Deciding point on Yepifanova's serve just now, and she takes it! 4-4.

I came into this match expecting a Ma win because she has a higher UTR and is generally regarded as the top player in the class, with Yepifanova #2. But whoever wins, I just want it to be really hard and that they push each other as much as possible. This doesn't necessarily set our lineup for us, of course, but it's a reasonably large data point, especially if one or the other turns it on and pulls away for a dominant win. It's been great tennis so far, but Yepifanova has seemed a bit tighter these last few games than she was against Wong or Alsola. 

You guys, we've just spent four years watching Michaela Gordon hold down the #1 spot in the lineup, including twice for a national championship team. Even if she plays this spring, I'm not sure she beats either one of these players the way they look right now. Don't mind me, I'm just over here imagining Michaela Gordon playing #3 singles and absolutely drubbing everyone she plays.

[BostonCard]

So, who are we rooting for?

BC

[BostonCard]

So, who are we rooting for?

BC

[ColoradoTree]

Does anyone know if Stanford has ever before had all-Stanford players in both the doubles and singles finals?

I wonder if all the other teams have already left Palo Alto while our women battle each other for the championships.

I assume they're all gone, yeah. You might stick around if a teammate is in the final, but no real reason to stick around now. 

And as for all-Stanford finals in both singles and doubles, my initial reaction was "surely, yes." I could think of a number of years where we won both the singles and doubles titles, but when I dug through it, at least one of the finalists in either doubles or singles was from somewhere else. I looked as far back as 2003, so at least as of the last 18 years, the answer is no.

---

So, who are we rooting for?

BC

LOL. It's the ultimate "I just want to see a great game" kinda deal, right? The more they push each other in their time at Stanford, the better off we are. But Ma has come in as at least a slight favorite, and I like it when my ace comes into a big moment, gets tested, and sees it through anyway. A tight Ma win in three sets fits my worldview, at least, and it always feels nice to have your priors confirmed. 

Yepifanova takes the first set 6-4, and Ma comes out in the first service game of the second set like a woman possessed. That rally on game point was spectacular. Then Ma breaks for a 2-0 lead. This set threatens to slip away from her as she gets a little more demonstrative, frustrated with some wild returns. Sasha got Ma's service game to deciding point, but sprayed another forehand wide, and it's 3-0 Ma in the second now. But Sasha came back with an angry service game, and it's 3-1 Ma.

EDIT: apparently it was Ma that took the first 6-4.

---

Ma held for 4-1, and Yepifanova looked primed to get back to 4-2, but she hit a forehand an inch wide and then mishit a forehand on deciding point. 5-1 Ma in the second, and she's serving for the set now. Yepifanova definitely tiring, it seems, and that's fair, given she had a harder road to get here. She got up 0-40 on Ma's serve just now, but seems to be losing confidence in her ground strokes, sending three in a row long or wide. Her frustration is palpable. And that's Ma with an ace to take it! Ma wins it 6-4, 6-1.

[ColoradoTree]

Does anyone know if Stanford has ever before had all-Stanford players in both the doubles and singles finals?

I wonder if all the other teams have already left Palo Alto while our women battle each other for the championships.

I assume they're all gone, yeah. You might stick around if a teammate is in the final, but no real reason to stick around now. 

And as for all-Stanford finals in both singles and doubles, my initial reaction was "surely, yes." I could think of a number of years where we won both the singles and doubles titles, but when I dug through it, at least one of the finalists in either doubles or singles was from somewhere else. I looked as far back as 2003, so at least as of the last 18 years, the answer is no.

---

So, who are we rooting for?

BC

LOL. It's the ultimate "I just want to see a great game" kinda deal, right? The more they push each other in their time at Stanford, the better off we are. But Ma has come in as at least a slight favorite, and I like it when my ace comes into a big moment, gets tested, and sees it through anyway. A tight Ma win in three sets fits my worldview, at least, and it always feels nice to have your priors confirmed. 

Yepifanova takes the first set 6-4, and Ma comes out in the first service game of the second set like a woman possessed. That rally on game point was spectacular. Then Ma breaks for a 2-0 lead. This set threatens to slip away from her as she gets a little more demonstrative, frustrated with some wild returns. Sasha got Ma's service game to deciding point, but sprayed another forehand wide, and it's 3-0 Ma in the second now. But Sasha came back with an angry service game, and it's 3-1 Ma.

EDIT: apparently it was Ma that took the first 6-4.

---

Ma held for 4-1, and Yepifanova looked primed to get back to 4-2, but she hit a forehand an inch wide and then mishit a forehand on deciding point. 5-1 Ma in the second, and she's serving for the set now. Yepifanova definitely tiring, it seems, and that's fair, given she had a harder road to get here. She got up 0-40 on Ma's serve just now, but seems to be losing confidence in her ground strokes, sending three in a row long or wide. Her frustration is palpable. And that's Ma with an ace to take it! Ma wins it 6-4, 6-1.

[ColoradoTree]

Well, you want your ace to shove in big moments, and Connie Ma shoved right there. Yepifanova played well, but Ma kept her off balance with movement, forcing tougher shots, and that spiraled a bit when Yepifanova. Ma was down 0-40 or 15-40 at several points in that second set, but Yepifanova couldn't finish those games and she must've lost every single deciding point (of which there were several). And on the flip side of that, Ma looked unflappable. Down 0-40? No worries, just get right back at it. 

Doubles final will be at 3:30, they just announced, so not much rest for the weary here. 

Yepifanova definitely seemed tired. She looked calm and collected against Alsola earlier, but against Ma, she wasn't anticipating shots as well, and she was a lot more vocal when hitting her shots, which I hadn't heard from her yet.

[ColoradoTree]

Well, you want your ace to shove in big moments, and Connie Ma shoved right there. Yepifanova played well, but Ma kept her off balance with movement, forcing tougher shots, and that spiraled a bit when Yepifanova. Ma was down 0-40 or 15-40 at several points in that second set, but Yepifanova couldn't finish those games and she must've lost every single deciding point (of which there were several). And on the flip side of that, Ma looked unflappable. Down 0-40? No worries, just get right back at it. 

Doubles final will be at 3:30, they just announced, so not much rest for the weary here. 

Yepifanova definitely seemed tired. She looked calm and collected against Alsola earlier, but against Ma, she wasn't anticipating shots as well, and she was a lot more vocal when hitting her shots, which I hadn't heard from her yet.

[ColoradoTree]

Doubles final getting started now on Court 1, fyi. Ma serving first.

---

Blake/Ma went up 3-0 early, but now it's 3-2.

[ColoradoTree]

Doubles final getting started now on Court 1, fyi. Ma serving first.

---

Blake/Ma went up 3-0 early, but now it's 3-2.

[martyup]

Ma and Blake take the doubles title.  What a picture of diversity our team presents.

[martyup]

Ma and Blake take the doubles title.  What a picture of diversity our team presents.

[cardfan77]

Doubles final getting started now on Court 1, fyi. Ma serving first.

---

Blake/Ma went up 3-0 early, but now it's 3-2.

This makes my heart go pitter-patter??

[cardfan77]

Doubles final getting started now on Court 1, fyi. Ma serving first.

---

Blake/Ma went up 3-0 early, but now it's 3-2.

This makes my heart go pitter-patter??

[ColoradoTree]

They ended up playing an 8-game pro set for the title, presumably due to Ma and Yepifanova each having played four sets of singles that day, and Blake/Ma took it 8-7 in a tiebreaker.  So, Angelica Blake will join Ma and Yepifanova at Fall Nationals, though she'll only compete in the doubles draw there. Her ranking could be useful in getting her in as an alternate in singles, though, in case of injury or illness elsewhere. It would be great if she can get some official "added matches" in singles while there, though. 

Fall Nationals will be November 4-7 in San Diego, and the rest of the team will play instead here at home at the Stanford Invitational. Excited to see Sara Choy back in action in singles, and I'm curious whether we'll get a glimpse of Michaela Gordon or Nicole Mossmer.

[ColoradoTree]

They ended up playing an 8-game pro set for the title, presumably due to Ma and Yepifanova each having played four sets of singles that day, and Blake/Ma took it 8-7 in a tiebreaker.  So, Angelica Blake will join Ma and Yepifanova at Fall Nationals, though she'll only compete in the doubles draw there. Her ranking could be useful in getting her in as an alternate in singles, though, in case of injury or illness elsewhere. It would be great if she can get some official "added matches" in singles while there, though. 

Fall Nationals will be November 4-7 in San Diego, and the rest of the team will play instead here at home at the Stanford Invitational. Excited to see Sara Choy back in action in singles, and I'm curious whether we'll get a glimpse of Michaela Gordon or Nicole Mossmer.

[BostonCard]

Remarkable stat: in the entire tournament, none of Ma's opponents were ever able to take four games in a set from her.

BC

[BostonCard]

Remarkable stat: in the entire tournament, none of Ma's opponents were ever able to take four games in a set from her.

BC

[ColoradoTree]

I can't help but wish Ma had been pushed a bit more in this tournament, but I think we all got a sense as to why she was the no-doubt #1 recruit in the class. Yepifanova is an incredible talent herself, and she knocked off a top 15 player and the #1 seed in this tournament, but Ma just rolled right over her. 

Ma is a unicorn in junior tennis. A sparkling talent, but one who rarely tested that talent against the best. For her family, school--she attended Dublin High School's Biomedical Academy--came first, and there would be no alternatives like online high school or sports academies like other elite players have found to free up more time for training, practice, and tournaments. She was always a student first, and frankly, it's almost unimaginable how she's gotten so good with relatively few matches against other elite players. So, with fewer tournaments, eventually she didn't qualify for the rankings, even though everyone knew that Connie Ma was still the best. 

And that foolishness led the ITA to leave her off the newcomer rankings, where Cal's Alsola ranked 7th and Yepifanova ranked 8th. But it's not like Ma forgot how to play tennis, folks. In June, when Stanford's incoming class became the first unanimous #1 class in the 15-year history of the Tennis Recruiting Network rankings, her UTR (Universal Tennis Ranking, a number that increases when you beat good players and decreases when you lose to worse ones) stood at 11.87. The next-highest? Yepifanova at 11.62. And then only a handful of other players before you get to Xu at 11.31. Tennis folks knew. It's more than a little mind-boggling that the ITA ignored her. 

Excited for Fall Nationals and to see what these two can do there. When the final fall rankings come out (usually mid-November to take into account Fall Nationals), you'll see their names on there.

[ColoradoTree]

I can't help but wish Ma had been pushed a bit more in this tournament, but I think we all got a sense as to why she was the no-doubt #1 recruit in the class. Yepifanova is an incredible talent herself, and she knocked off a top 15 player and the #1 seed in this tournament, but Ma just rolled right over her. 

Ma is a unicorn in junior tennis. A sparkling talent, but one who rarely tested that talent against the best. For her family, school--she attended Dublin High School's Biomedical Academy--came first, and there would be no alternatives like online high school or sports academies like other elite players have found to free up more time for training, practice, and tournaments. She was always a student first, and frankly, it's almost unimaginable how she's gotten so good with relatively few matches against other elite players. So, with fewer tournaments, eventually she didn't qualify for the rankings, even though everyone knew that Connie Ma was still the best. 

And that foolishness led the ITA to leave her off the newcomer rankings, where Cal's Alsola ranked 7th and Yepifanova ranked 8th. But it's not like Ma forgot how to play tennis, folks. In June, when Stanford's incoming class became the first unanimous #1 class in the 15-year history of the Tennis Recruiting Network rankings, her UTR (Universal Tennis Ranking, a number that increases when you beat good players and decreases when you lose to worse ones) stood at 11.87. The next-highest? Yepifanova at 11.62. And then only a handful of other players before you get to Xu at 11.31. Tennis folks knew. It's more than a little mind-boggling that the ITA ignored her. 

Excited for Fall Nationals and to see what these two can do there. When the final fall rankings come out (usually mid-November to take into account Fall Nationals), you'll see their names on there.

[BostonCard]

I'm starting to think that we have a legit chance to challenge for a national championship.  If Gordon comes back, then I wonder if we might even think of ourselves as more than a legit challenger.

BC

[BostonCard]

I'm starting to think that we have a legit chance to challenge for a national championship.  If Gordon comes back, then I wonder if we might even think of ourselves as more than a legit challenger.

BC

[ColoradoTree]

I'm starting to think that we have a legit chance to challenge for a national championship.  If Gordon comes back, then I wonder if we might even think of ourselves as more than a legit challenger.

BC

I mean, I'm trying not to get my own hopes up too far, but let's say Gordon plays and sticks at #1 (which is by no means assured with Ma sitting right there):

1. Gordon
2. Ma
3. Yepifanova
4. Blake
5. Xu
6. Geller

And then you have what absolutely has to be the best trio of players left out of the singles lineup in the country in Houghton, Choy, and Madurawe. It's so good. You can never be certain how we match up with the other top 5-type teams, but I really do think we'd be one of those teams. We'd have a great shot in every single match we play. 

FYI, Early Signing Day is coming up on November 10, and we don't have any commitments yet from any of the top American-based blue chips. Tennis Recruiting Network shows a verbal commitment from an Australian player, but she doesn't have a ton of junior results, so I can't really assess her. But after an all-time great class of current freshmen, it should be expected that we'd be a slightly less attractive option for top high school seniors who still have designs on possibly leaving college early to turn pro. Of the 25 blue chips this year, 9 have yet to commit to a school, so we'll see how things land there. USC already has two blue chips committed, and Cal has one. I'm particularly keeping an eye on Reese Brantmeier and Anne Lutkemeyer among the group that's left.

[ColoradoTree]

I'm starting to think that we have a legit chance to challenge for a national championship.  If Gordon comes back, then I wonder if we might even think of ourselves as more than a legit challenger.

BC

I mean, I'm trying not to get my own hopes up too far, but let's say Gordon plays and sticks at #1 (which is by no means assured with Ma sitting right there):

1. Gordon
2. Ma
3. Yepifanova
4. Blake
5. Xu
6. Geller

And then you have what absolutely has to be the best trio of players left out of the singles lineup in the country in Houghton, Choy, and Madurawe. It's so good. You can never be certain how we match up with the other top 5-type teams, but I really do think we'd be one of those teams. We'd have a great shot in every single match we play. 

FYI, Early Signing Day is coming up on November 10, and we don't have any commitments yet from any of the top American-based blue chips. Tennis Recruiting Network shows a verbal commitment from an Australian player, but she doesn't have a ton of junior results, so I can't really assess her. But after an all-time great class of current freshmen, it should be expected that we'd be a slightly less attractive option for top high school seniors who still have designs on possibly leaving college early to turn pro. Of the 25 blue chips this year, 9 have yet to commit to a school, so we'll see how things land there. USC already has two blue chips committed, and Cal has one. I'm particularly keeping an eye on Reese Brantmeier and Anne Lutkemeyer among the group that's left.

[TheFarm07]

When would we know if Gordon is coming back?

ColoradoTree, it sounds like (correct me if I am wrong), but we would have incredible depth in the singles lineup even if Gordon doesn't play, but the other top contenders such as defending champion Texas and Cal, can also match us in that department as well?

How much of a bump in confidence would you have in terms of us contending for the title if Gordon does come back?

[TheFarm07]

When would we know if Gordon is coming back?

ColoradoTree, it sounds like (correct me if I am wrong), but we would have incredible depth in the singles lineup even if Gordon doesn't play, but the other top contenders such as defending champion Texas and Cal, can also match us in that department as well?

How much of a bump in confidence would you have in terms of us contending for the title if Gordon does come back?

[BostonCard]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

[BostonCard]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

[ca245]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

Aren’t tennis scholarships splittable? Could some players be splitting a scholarship?

[ca245]

Also, I presume one scholarship we might have already had is spoken for since we signed more players in this year’s class than we really had scholarships for, no?

BC

Aren’t tennis scholarships splittable? Could some players be splitting a scholarship?