Jan. 27, 2013

BERKELEY - Seventh-ranked California moved on to the championship of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend by defeating No. 60 Fresno State, 7-0, on Sunday at Hellman Tennis Complex. Seventh-ranked Zsofi Susanyi, senior Tayler Davis and freshman Klara Fabikova collected singles wins after the Golden Bears won the doubles point to dispatch the Bulldogs. In Monday's final, Cal will play No. 42 Saint Mary's for the right to advance to next month's ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship.

With the victory, Cal opened its dual season 1-0, while the Bulldogs opened at 0-1. Saint Mary's beat No. 51 UNLV, 5-2, in the Sunday's other match.

"It's our first dual match, and it's always good to get the jitters out and get comfortable," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "I think they played a little better today than they did last week, because we saw Fresno State last week in our tournament. I was most pleased that our girls stepped up their concentration, focus and level of play a little bit. That was nice to see."

The Bears kicked off the day with dominant victories in doubles, as the pair of Susanyi and Fabikova quickly defeated the FSU duo of Bianca Modoc and Sophie Watts, 8-1, on court one. On court two, Cal freshman Lynn Chi and junior Anett Schutting topped the Bulldogs' Aishwarya Agrawal and Rana Sherif Ahmed, 8-2. Junior Kelly Chui and sophomore Cecilia Estlander held a 6-2 lead over Melissa McQueen and Anne Susdorf when play was suspended.

In singles, Susanyi, a sophomore, dropped the first game of her match to Agrawal before roaring back for a 6-2, 6-1, victory on court one.

"Zsofi stepped into the No. 1 role today, and she showed that she has that experience and did a good job of managing her match and getting off the court quickly," Augustus said.

Senior Tayler Davis posted a quick 6-1, 6-1, win over FSU's Sophie Watts on court four, before Fabikova's 6-3, 6-2, decision over Modoc on court five gave Cal a 4-0 lead. The ninth-ranked Schutting continued the trend with a 6-3, 6-3, victory over FSU's Rana Sherif Ahmed at court two, while Chi - ranked 109th nationally - bested McQueen, 7-6(6), 6-4, on court three. Chui completed the singles sweep with a 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6, victory over Susdorf on court six.

Monday's championship between the Bears and the Gaels will start at approximately 1 p.m. at Hellman, with the consolation match between Fresno State and UNLV starting at 10 a.m.

No. 7 Cal 7, No. 60 Fresno State 0
2013 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Championship
Sunday, Jan. 27
Hellman Tennis Complex | Berkeley, Calif.

Doubles
1: Susanyi/Fabikova (Cal) defeated Modoc/S. Watts (Fresno State) - 8-1
2: Chi/Schutting (Cal) defeated Agrawal/Sherif Ahmed (Fresno State) - 8-2
3: Chui/Estlander (Cal) vs. McQueen/Susdorf (Fresno State) - DNF
(Cal wins doubles point)

Singles
1: Susanyi (Cal) defeated Agrawal (Fresno State) - 6-2, 6-1
2: Schutting (Cal) defeated Sherif Ahmed (Fresno State) - 6-3, 6-3
3: Chi (Cal) defeated McQueen (Fresno State) - 7-6(6), 6-4
4: Davis (Cal) defeated S. Watts (Fresno State) - 6-1, 6-1
5: Fabikova (Cal) defeated Modoc (Fresno State) - 6-3, 6-2
6: Chui (Cal) defeated Susdorf (Fresno State) - 2-6, 7-6(5), 10-6

No. 42 Saint Mary's 5, No. 51 UNLV 2
2013 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Championship
Sunday, Jan. 27
Hellman Tennis Complex | Berkeley, Calif.

Doubles
1: Batta/Pavlovic (UNLV) defeated Isip/Searl (Saint Mary's) - 8-5
2: Josifoska/Kotseva (UNLV) defeated Frampton/Flores (Saint Mary's) - 8-4
3: Jullien/Leitz (Saint Mary's) defeated Erasmus/Ferenczi-Bako (UNLV) - 8-0
(UNLV wins the doubles point)

Singles
1: Jullien (Saint Mary's) defeated Josifoska (UNLV) - 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2: Batta (UNLV) defeated Isip (Saint Mary's) - 6-2, 6-1
3: Flores (Saint Mary's) defeated Pavlovic (UNLV) - 7-5, 6-2
4: Frampton (Saint Mary's) defeated Erasmus (UNLV) - 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
5: Leduc (Saint Mary's) defeated Kotseva (UNLV) - 6-4, 6-3
6: Leitz (Saint Mary's) defeated Bourchier (UNLV) - 6-2, 6-4