May 27, 2006

Stanford, Calif. - Suzi Babos defeated UCLA's Riza Zalameda in the NCAA Women's Tennis Championships quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at the Taube Tennis Center at Stanford, to advance to the semifinals tomorrow.

In a close first, set twenty-seventh ranked Babos took No. 54 Zalameda to a tiebreaker, but came out victorious, 7-5. The sophomore from Sopron, Hungary, then quickly shut out Zalameda in the next set, 6-1. Babos currently boasts a 30-13 overall singles record.

"I was a little bit nervous because I didn't expect to be playing in the quarterfinals," said Babos. "Then, I started playing really well in the first round and gained my confidence back. Today, I stepped on the court knowing that I have already beaten her a couple of weeks ago, so I basically had nothing to lose. I had no pressure, and that's why I could come out with one of my best performances so far."

Babos will face Theresa Logar, who is seeded 9-16, of Stanford in the semifinals, tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. This marks Babos' first appearance in the semifinals and the first time since 1991 when Lisa Albano was in the finals, that Cal has advanced this far in the singles competition. Last year Logar knocked Babos out of the tournament in the second round, defeating her 6-1, 6-3. Logar is currently ranked 10th in the nation in singles.

"I came to Stanford in my freshman year and played a couple of tournaments here and so far I've only lost one singles match," said Babos about playing at Stanford. "I'm pretty confident playing on these courts and I love the surface. It's great to have this many people out here. I just loved it."

Live scoring for tomorrow's match will be available at www.gostanford.com.

Complete Cal Results
NCAA Women's Tennis Championships
Taube Tennis Center, Stanford, CA
May 27, 2006

Singles quarterfinals
(Cal) Suzi Babos d. (UCLA) Riza Zalameda, 7-5, 6-1