This past weekend, women’s tennis players from across the Pacific Northwest competed at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium on Stanford’s campus. This was the 12th-straight time the stadium hosted the event. Players were eligible to compete in the tournament after earning a bid from a prior qualifying tournament. Cal, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Pacific, Portland, Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Seattle and UC Davis were all represented at this championship.
Stanford has won the singles championship in seven of the past eight years. Last year, current sophomore Michaela Gordon defeated current junior Emily Arbuthnott (7-5, 6-2) in a tough-fought finals match that pitted Cardinal against Cardinal. Gordon is the most recent of a lasting streak of Stanford players to win the event, succeeding previous champions Taylor Davidson (2015), Carol Zhao (2014), Kristie Ahn (2013, 2010), Krista Hardebeck (2012) and Nicole Gibbs (2011).
Stanford senior Caroline Lampl only lost seven games in her first three matches in the singles draw. After taking down Pacific’s Anna Ramos Vinolas (6-2, 6-0) in the first round, Cal’s Jessica Zeynel (6-1, 6-2) in the second, Sacramento State’s Jenna Dorian (6-0, 6-2) in the round of 32, Washington’s Stacey Fun (6-4, 7-6(2)) in the round of 16 and fellow Cardinal Sara Choy (6-4, 6-1) in the quarterfinals Sunday, Lampl will be playing Cal’s Olivia Hauger today in a 1 p.m. semifinals showdown.
Stanford’s Gordon and Arbuthnott will be facing off for the other spot in the finals in a rematch of last year’s championship, guaranteeing that a Cardinal will be playing in the singles tournament championship tomorrow. Their semifinal match will also be taking place at 1 p.m. today.
The duo of sophomore Kimberly Yee and freshman Niluka Madurawe will be fighting for a spot in the doubles finals as well in their 1 p.m. semifinals match against Washington’s Stacey Fung/Nika Zupancic today. Yee/Madurawe defeated Pacific’s Dohee Lee/Anneroos Nederstigt (8-2) in the second round, Cal’s Maria Smith/Katerina Stloukalova (8-6) in the round of 16 and Gonzaga’s Domonique Garley/Graciela Rosas (8-2) in the quarterfinals to reach the semis.
A native of nearby Sunnyvale, California and ranked sixth overall in last year’s national women’s tennis recruiting class, Madurawe took the singles title at the Saint Mary’s Invitational earlier in the month in her collegiate debut and will be looking to add to her early success with a doubles win today.
Contact Shan Reddy at rsreddy ‘at’ stanford.edu.