May 24, 2007

ATHENS, Ga. - California's fifth-ranked doubles team of Susie Babos and Zsuzsanna Fodor earned a first-round victory in the NCAA Doubles Tournament Thursday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. In addition, Fodor and freshman Nina Henkel advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Tournament.

Babos and Fodor's doubles contest was a close battle against Wake Forest's Ashlee Davis and Alexandra Hirsch. The Golden Bears prevailed, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4. Trailing 5-4 in the first set, Babos and Fodor rallied to win the next three games and take the set. In the second set, Cal held a 5-3 lead and was on match point when Wake Forest started its own rally and tied the set at five. The Demon Deacons later won that set. Babos and Fodor built another 5-3 lead in the third set and this time hung on and took the match.

In the Round of 16 tomorrow, the Bears face Catrina Thompson and Christian Thompson from Notre Dame. Babos and Fodor won the first meeting between the two teams this season in the ITA Indoor championships last fall.

In singles, No. 12 Fodor remained on fire, taking down Mississippi State's Martina Banikova, 6-1, 6-1. No. 22 Henkel also prevailed in commanding fashion, knocking off TCU's Ana Cetnik, 6-2, 6-4.

Babos, the 2006 NCAA singles champion, was defeated by Stanford's Lindsay Burdette, 6-4, 6-4.

In the Round of 16 tomorrow, Fodor clashes with second-ranked Megan Falcon of LSU and Henkel tangles with No. 6 Kristi Miller from national-champion Georgia Tech.

Singles Second Round Results:
(41) Lindsay Burdette (Stanford) def. (4) Susie Babos (Cal) 6-4, 6-4
(12) Zsuzsanna Fodor (Cal) def. (46) Martina Banikova (Mississippi State) 6-1, 6-1
(22) Nina Henkel (Cal) def. (57) Ana Cetnik (TCU) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles First Round Results:
(5) Susie Babos/Zsuzsanna Fodor (Cal) def. (27) Ashlee Davis and Alexandra Hirsch, (Wake Forest) 7-5, 6-7, 6-4