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Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - Printable Version

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RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-25-2022

Ewing was up a mini-break at 3-1, Ma tied it up at 3-3 as they change ends, but Ewing goes back up a mini-break at 4-3. Ewing sends a forehand long and it's 4-4, but she hits a crosscourt forehand winner and she's up 5-4.
5-5. Then a sparkling backhand paints the line and she leads 6-5!
Ewing does what she needs to and makes it 6-6 as they change ends again. Then Ewing dumps it into the net and Ma will have match point on her serve, up 7-6!
And Ma does it! Finally! 8-6 in the tiebreaker and she's onto the quarterfinals!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - Canalejas - 05-25-2022

Heck yeah.  Thanks for the detailed updates!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - martyup - 05-25-2022

Wow, what a seesaw match.  Good on Ma!  ARN!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-26-2022

In the quarterfinal today, #26 Ma plays #48 Abigail Rencheli of N.C. State, who knocked off #1 Emma Navarro of UVA in a shocker. Rencheli has mostly played #2 for the Wolfpack this year, where she's gone 18-8 as a sophomore. All quarterfinals are at 10:30am on the Tennis One app. The other matchups:

* #27 Lisa Zaar (Pepperdine) vs. #55 Fiona Crawley (UNC) (if Ma wins, she'll play the winner of this match next)
* #2 Peyton Stearns (Texas) vs. #7 Eryn Cayetano (USC)
* #96 Paola Diaz-Delgado (VCU) vs. #36 Michaela Bayerlova (WSU)

Only two seeds remain--Stearns and Cayetano--and they're playing each other today. So, out of the 8 remaining, 3 Pac-12 athletes, 2 ACC, and one each from the Big 12, WCC, and A10.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-26-2022

Ma's match is on now, on Court 2, and she just broke easily to go up 5-2 in the first set over Rencheli. She's serving for the set now.
Well, that was pretty straightforward. Holds at love for the set. Rencheli had no answers.
Rencheli serves to start the second, and from 15-40 down, Ma wins three straight to get the break. She leads 6-2, 1-0. Rencheli not moving terribly well, but whether that's her feeling deflated already or because she's still worn out from knocking off the top seed in three sets, I have no idea.
Ma delivers a sloppy service game and Rencheli gets back on serve. Sigh. No more of that, please, Connie! But at least she breaks right back, and she's up 2-1. After how ... complicated ... Ma's finishing was yesterday, one hopes she keeps her foot on the gas and doesn't let Rencheli feel like she's in it.

Rencheli getting her thigh re-wrapped on the changeover. She's not limping, but perhaps that explains some of the poor movement from her. In any event, all the more reason to keep attacking lines and forcing her to move. Rencheli has a nice heavy return of serve, especially when she's on her backhand. Really attacking angles, and Ma has had to adjust how aggressive she is because of it.
Another less-than-sharp service game from Ma, another deciding point, and another Rencheli break, which got Rencheli really fired up. 2-2 now in the second, and it would be nice for Ma to crank up the pressure. A lot of long rallies to the middle of the court, and Ma is not being nearly as aggressive as she was in the first sets of yesterday and today.
Another deciding point on Rencheli's serve, another Rencheli forehand into the net, and another Ma break. She's up 3-2, but she owes that more to Rencheli's mistakes than her own play. Now's the time to consolidate that break and put a little distance between her and Rencheli.
Finally, a hold! 4-2 Ma. But then answered by a Rencheli hold at love. 4-3. Ma then goes up 40-0 on her serve, Rencheli fights back to 40-30, but then she mishits a forehand long and Ma leads 5-3. Four points away from the national semifinals!
Those four points will have to wait for Ma's serve, as Rencheli holds despite not serving well. Not sure what Ma was doing there, but she had some flat second serves she could have absolutely punished, and instead, they went weakly into the net. Frankie Brennan is out there on the changeover animatedly demonstrating to Ma some of her return/ground stroke shortcomings in that game. A nice change of pace, since she didn't get the on-court coaching when she was frittering away her lead against Ewing in the second set yesterday. Ma serving now up 6-2, 5-4.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-26-2022

A long rally ends with a Ma forehand into the net. 0-15. Again, just not using the angles, and whether she's playing not to lose at this point or she doesn't feel confident in her strokes, she's got a player who's at least a little hampered by her thigh and she's not taking advantage by moving her around the court.

After a decent rally, Rencheli sends a forehand just long and Ma is quick to call it. 15-15.

Ma sends a slice forehand long. 15-30. Rencheli is playing aggressively now with her back against the wall. Ma seems content to respond. 

After another long rally, Rencheli hits it just long again. 30-30.

Another long rally, and Rencheli hits the baseline when Ma had held off, thinking it was going long. 30-40. 

A quick rally this time ends when Rencheli hits a backhand into the net. Deciding point.
Another long rally but Rencheli calls one wide and while I couldn't tell for sure (it was close), the chair umpire remains silent and it's now 5-5. Despite breaking Rencheli three times this set, it's tied up. Ugh.
Two days in a row, Ma is up a set and a break, and two days in a row, she gives it up. Whether she closes it out soon or not, the failure to finish when she has someone on the ropes is concerning. 

Just now, at 30-15 on Rencheli's serve, Rencheli hit a weak, flat second serve and rather than pounce on it, Ma just slowly hit it back like they were warming up. Anyway, Rencheli holds, and Ma will serve to force a tiebreaker. Sigh.
Ma's first serve has deserted her, but she still pulled out the hold on 40-30. 6-6, Rencheli seemed to tweak something lunging for a ball there, and it'll be a tiebreaker for the second set.
Rencheli's serve has been the weakest part of her game today, and yet somehow Ma keeps hitting routine ground strokes that she often sails long rather than attacking it with pace. Frustrating. 1-0 Rencheli. Then 2-0 as Ma gives up a mini break by misplaying a volley. A service winner makes it 2-1.
3-1 Rencheli as Ma continues to hit it to Rencheli's backhand, even though her forehand has been the objectively weaker stroke today. Maddening. Such tentative tennis from Ma in this set. And then she sails a backhand long, and it's 4-1. Another mishit forehand from Ma and it's 5-1 as they change ends. Rencheli two points away from forcing a third set. Now 5-2 as Rencheli has two serves needing two points.
Now 5-3 as Rencheli sends a forehand long. ATTACK HER FOREHAND, PLEASE.
She does not. 6-3 Rencheli and Ma's up against it now.
Service winner to cut it to 6-4. And then a nifty shot to force Rencheli in no-man's land, and it's 6-5. Rencheli with a serve for the set here. But Rencheli dumps a half-overhead/volley into the net and they're tied at 6-6 as they change ends!
After another good, long rally (really the hallmark of this match), Rencheli sprays a backhand wide and Ma will serve for it now, up 7-6!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-26-2022

And she does it! Finally gets Rencheli moving, which sets her up for a clear winner, and Ma moves on with a 6-2, 7-6 win after she wins five straight points to take the tiebreaker, 8-6.
In other quarterfinal action:

* #55 Crawley (UNC) def. #27 Zaar (Pepperdine) 6-3, 6-1
* #2 Stearns (Texas) def. #7 Cayetano (USC) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
* #96 Diaz-Delgado (VCU) def. #36 Bayerlova (WSU) 6-1, 7-6

So, it'll be Ma vs. Crowley in one semi and Stearns vs. Diaz-Delgado in the other. I'll take Stearns to end Diaz-Delgado's Cinderella run, and as for Ma's match, it's a rematch of the Round of 16 at ITA Fall Nationals--in that match, Ma beat Crowley 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - terry - 05-26-2022

Nice win for Ma!

ColoradoTree, thanks for providing the series of updates. Much appreciated!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-26-2022

Ma was already the first Stanford freshman to make the NCAA singles quarterfinals since Nicole Gibbs in 2011. Gibbs made it to the semis that year before losing to the eventual champion, #1 Jana Juricova of Cal. 

Can Ma do Gibbs one better tomorrow? We know Ma can beat Crowley, because she has. We also know Crowley is playing lights out right now, though she mostly played #4 for UNC this year. (UNC was so good this year, you guys.) Ma should win this match. But Crowley has been on fire lately.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - oldalum - 05-27-2022

(05-26-2022, 01:21 PM)ColoradoTree Wrote:  (UNC was so good this year, you guys.)
yeah. I was sure this was their year -- how did Texas beat 'em?

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - EBSteve - 05-27-2022

Connie Ma is playing in the NCAA singles semifinals right now vs UNC's Fiona Crawley. A minute ago she was ahead 5-4 in 1st set with Crawley serving.
Here's the scoring link:
Tennis Live Stats (sidearmstats.com)

Can view with the Tennis One app

__________________________________________________________
Ma pulled out the first set 6-4!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-27-2022

And Connie breaks to take the set, 6-4! She had a set point/deciding point on her serve up 5-3, but Crawley got that one. But Ma broke right back and she’s one set away from the final.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - Lorcan - 05-27-2022

It’s looking like Yepifanova’s conqueror, Stearns, is on track to make the finals as well.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-27-2022

Not going Ma’s way so far in the second set. Already broken twice and Crowley leads 3-0.
Ma gets one back to 3-1, gives it right back to 4-1 down, and breaks again for 4-2. Can she hold for the first time this set?
She does! 3-4 down now.
Then breaks at love for 4-4!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-27-2022

And holds for 5-4! Go Connie!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - Lorcan - 05-27-2022

It looks like Ma has knocked off Crawley, and will play Stearns for the ship!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-27-2022

And with Crowley up 40-15 to tie it up, Connie wins three straight points and punches her ticket to the championship match!
From 4-1 down, she rattles off five straight games to win it. She’s a boss. This one is going to sting for Crowley. Lots of chances to put that second set away, but when it counted, Ma had all the answers in the key spots.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-28-2022

The final starts at 9am, so not much longer now. FYI, the scoreboard on the TennisONE feed shows the name of UGA’s Lea Ma, so that’s, uh, unfortunate.
Fixed. They’re warming up now.

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-28-2022

Ma goes up 40-15 on Stearns’ serve to open things, but Stearns wins three straight to hold.
A bizarre service game from Ma. Stearns went up 40-0, and it looked like this might be a short day for Connie, with Stearns super aggressive and leaving Connie looking lost. And then Stearns hit a series of seemingly disinterested returns and forehands long, and Ma holds for 1-1. Weird and sudden shift in form. Then Stearns looks a little erratic on serve, and Ma breaks to go up 2-1!
With Stearns being such a big, aggressive hitter, Ma might find success being the wall today. Just get it back. She’s so athletic that as much as Stearns is trying to stretch her wide, Connie can get to those balls and get them back. That’s frustrating Stearns so far and leading to some unforced errors from her.
Stearns breaks and then holds to go up 3-2, with Connie going up 40-15 on Stearns’ serve again but being unable to convert. One bizarre thing is how extreme the Texas on-court coaching is. It’s after darn near every point!

RE: Women's Tennis: Pac-12 Champs and looking ahead to NCAAs - ColoradoTree - 05-28-2022

Sigh. Stearns is cruising. Connie needs to find something fast.