PULLMAN, Wash. – Sophomore Donika Bashota defeated the No. 12-ranked player in the nation, but the No. 1 California Golden Bears (18-0, 6-0 Pac-12) went on to a 6-1 victory over the No. 57 Washington State Cougars (17-7, 2-6 Pac-12) at the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, Friday afternoon.

 

At No. 2 singles, Bashota dropped a close first-set 7-6 (4) to Klara Fabikova, the No. 12-ranked player in the nation. Bashota came back with a resounding 6-0 win in the second. In the third-set tie-breaker, Bashota trailed 9-6 before bouncing back to save three-straight match set points, ultimately posting a 1-0 (11-9) result to win the match 6-7 (4), 6-0, 1-0 (9).

 

“I'm happy for Donika, she fought the entire match and showed a great deal of mental toughness,” said WSU Head Coach Lisa Hart. “She played at a consistently high level the entire match and to save three match points against a player of that caliber is a great accomplishment and reflective of what she is capable of doing against the best players in the nation.”

 

At No. 4, Miksovska fell to Chi, ranked No. 58 nationally, 6-3, 6-2, while Biryukova, fell at No. 1, 6-1, 6-4 to Manasse, ranked No. 10 nationally. The Golden Bears clinched the match as No. 105 Hauger defeated Leenknecht, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 5. At No. 6, Victoria Matejevic fell to Karla Popovic in a two-set, 6-3, 6-4 loss. Huynh dropped a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 effort against Starr, ranked No. 75 nationally, to finish off the match.

 

The day started with doubles where California took the early lead, capturing the doubles point. At No. 2, Lize Leenknecht and Trang Huynh fell against Klara Fabikova and Olivia Hauger, 6-2. Maria Biryukova and Aneta Miksovska were defeated 6-2 by Lynn Chi and Maria Smith. At No. 1 doubles, Donika Bashota and Victoria Matejevic were trailing the No. 6-ranked pair of Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr 4-2, when the match was suspended.

 

The Cougars are back in action, Saturday April 9, taking on No. 19 Stanford for Senior Day. Senior Day activities start at 9:30 a.m., while first serve is slated for 10 a.m.

 

DOUBLES
No. 1 #6 Manasse/Starr (CAL) vs. Bashota/Matejevic (WSU) 4-2
No. 2 Fabikova/Hauger (CAL) def. Leenknecht/Huynh (WSU) 6-2
No. 3 Chi/Smith (CAL) def. Biryukova/Miksovska (WSU) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2,3

SINGLES
No. 1 #10 Maegan Manasse (CAL) def. Maria Biryukova (WSU) 6-1, 6-4
No. 2 Donika Bashota (WSU) def. #12 Klara Fabikova 6-7 (4), 6-0, 1-0 (9)
No. 3 #75 Denise Starr (CAL) def. Trang Huynh (WSU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
No. 4 #58 Lynn Chi (CAL) def. Aneta Miksovska (WSU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 #105 Olivia Hauger (CAL) def. Lize Leenknecht (WSU) 6-2, 7-5
No. 6 Karla Popovic (CAL) def. Victoria Matejevic(WSU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,1,5,6,2,3