No. 50 Cougars Rally for 4-3 Victory at No. 21 Oregon

EUGENE, Ore. – Sophomore Guzal Yusupova rallied from a set down in the deciding match to pull out a three-set victory and propel No. 50 Washington State to a 4-3 victory at No. 21 Oregon Sunday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center. With the win, the Cougars improve to 15-1 on the season and 1-0 in Pac-12 Conference play. Oregon captured the opening doubles point by taking identical 6-1 victories at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. It marked just the second time in 16 matches this season WSU did not take a lead into singles play. Junior Tiffany Mylonas was the first singles player off following a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3, evening the score. The two teams went back and forth, as Oregon won at No. 4, then WSU at No. 6 as sophomore Melissa Ates rode a break of serve in the third set to a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 win. Oregon took its last lead at 3-2 when senior Alyssa Tobita defeated Michaela Bayerlova at No. 1 in three sets, the first loss of Bayerlova's collegiate career against 20 wins. Junior Aneta Miksovska evened the match at 3-3 with a straight-set win at No. 5, setting the stage for Yusupova's heroics. The Cougars continue their road swing through Oregon Monday when they face Portland Monday at noon in Portland.

Coach Lisa Hart on the Match:
"Oregon is a very tough team to play. To beat them in Eugene after losing the doubles point says so much about the character of this team. Our players battled today, played hard for each other, and mostly, played with so much Cougar pride. Our players deserve this win and I could not be more proud of them. Go Cougs!!"

Moments of the Match:

COUGS WIN!!! #GoCougs #GCT pic.twitter.com/8AHvklwoeZ
— WSU COUGAR TENNIS (@WSUCOUGARTENNIS) March 12, 2018

Congrats to @WSUCOUGARTENNIS for their big win at Oregon today! #GoCougs
— WSU Cougar Football (@wsucougfb) March 12, 2018

#GoCougs pic.twitter.com/MERFwLAs9P
— WSU COUGAR TENNIS (@WSUCOUGARTENNIS) March 12, 2018

Great start to Pac-12 play, taking down Oregon on the road #GoCougs https://t.co/saKzXGRdjQ
— WSU Women's Hoops (@WSUWomensHoops) March 12, 2018

Thing You Need to Know:

WSU improved to 15-1 on the year, the best start to a season in program history
The win over No. 21 Oregon is the highest-ranked win by WSU since defeating No. 20 California, 5-2, during the 2002 season
WSU snapped a snapped a three-match skid to Oregon and improved 9-6 against the Ducks under Head Coach Lisa Hart
Freshman Michaela Bayerlova saw her 20-match winning streak snapped in three sets against Alyssa Tobita
Junior Tiffany Mylonas picked up her team-leading 26th singles win, tied for 14th in WSU's single-season list
Sophomore Melisa Ates picked up her 20th singles win of the season, the second-straight year she has recorded 20-plus wins
Junior Aneta Miksovska's straight-set win at No. 5 evened the match at 3-3, setting the stage for Yusupova's thrilling victory. It marked Miksovska's 21st singles win of the season

WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
No. 50 Washington State 4 def. No. 21 Oregon 3
March 11, 2018
Eugene, Ore.

DOUBLES

Shweta Sangwan/Julia Eshet (UO) def. Barbora Michalkova/Melisa Ates (WSU) 6-1
Alyssa Tobita/Rifanty Kahfiani (UO) def. Guzal Yusupova/Tiffany Mylonas (WSU) 6-1
Michaela Bayerlova/Aneta Miksovska (WSU) vs. Daniela Nasser/Julia Lilien (UO) 4-2 DNF

Order of Finish: 1,2

SINGLES
1.     Alyssa Tobita (UO) def. No. 49 Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
2.     Guzal Yusupova (WSU) def. Shweta Sangwan (UO) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
3.     Tiffany Mylonas (WSU) def. Julia Lilien (UO) 6-1, 6-1
4.     Julia Eshet (UO) def. Barbora Michalkova (WSU) 6-1, 6-3
5.     Aneta Miksovska (WSU) def. Daniela Nasser (UO) 6-4, 7-6 (5)
6.     Melisa Ates (WSU) def. Rifanty Kahfiana (UO) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3,4,6,1,5,2

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Players Mentioned

Melisa Ates

Michaela Bayerlova

Barbora Michalkova

Aneta Miksovska

Tiffany Mylonas

Guzal Yusupova

Washington State University Athletics