PULLMAN, Wash. –Washington State tennis recognized senior Yang Lee Friday prior to it's match against No. 41 Oregon as Lee was competing at home for the final time in her Cougar career. While Lee was the focus, it was a pair of freshmen who provided the Cougars' only wins in a 5-2 loss to the Ducks Friday at the Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse.
 
Lee was honored for her five years competing for Washington State, having accumulated 75 career doubles wins, tied for eighth-most in program history.
 
After Oregon captured the opening doubles point, WSU's top two freshmen shined during singles play as Yura Nakagawa came out strong, winning the opening set 6-2, at No. 2 against Oregon's Ares Teixido Garcia. Up a break in the second at 3-1, Nakagawa won by retirement as Teixido Garcia could no longer continue.
 
WSU evened the match at 2-2 when freshman Eva Alvarez Sande completed a hard-fought 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win over Sophie Luescher at No. 1. The win was Alvarez Sande's team-leading 17th singles win of the year while also improving to 3-2 at No. 1 singles.
 
Oregon had taken a 2-1 lead when Uxia Martinez Moral survived a tough first set before closing out a 6-4, 6-1 win over Kumhom at No. 4 singles. A marathon match at No. 3 gave Oregon a 3-2 lead as Myah Petchey completed a 6-2, 6-7 (10-8), 6-4 win over Elyse Tse, who saved six match points in the second-set tiebreaker. That set the stage for Court 6, where Oregon's Jo-Yee Chan earned a 6-1, 7-5 win over Tiffany Phout to give the Ducks an insurmountable 4-2 lead with one match remaining.
 
In the final match, Oregon Karin Young needed three sets to defeat Hania Abouelsaad at No. 5, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, for the final margin of victory.
 
Doubles began the day and Oregon (11-4, 4-1 Pac-12) struck first, posting a 6-2 win at No. 2 as Chan and Teixido Garcia defeated Lee and Nakagawa. On Court 1, the WSU (7-9, 0-5) duo of Alvarez Sande and Tse, ranked No. 38 nationally, improved to 8-0 this season as they defeated Martinez Moral and Luescher, 6-2, winning the final six games. The doubles point came down to No. 3 where Oregon's pair of Young and Petchey rode a late break of serve to a 6-3 win over Abouelsaad and Kumhom, giving the Ducks the early 1-0 lead.
 
The Cougars are next in action Friday when they visit Colorado to start a five-match road swing.
 
WASHINGTON STATE TENNIS
No. 41 Oregon 5 def. Washington State 2
March 31, 2023
Simmelink Tennis Courts at Hollingbery Fieldhouse
Pullman, Wash.
 
DOUBLES
No. 1 #38 Eva Alvarez Sande/Elyse Tse (WSU) def. Uxia Martinez Moral/Sophie Luescher (UO) 6-2
No. 2 Jo-Yee Chan/Ares Teixido Garcia (UO) def. Yang Lee/Yura Nakagawa (WSU) 6-2
No. 3 Karin Young/Myah Petchey (UO) def. Hania Abouelsaad/Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2,1,3
 
SINGLES
No. 1 Eva Alvarez Sande (WSU) def. Sophie Luescher (UO) 6-2, 7-6 (5)
No. 2 Yura Nakagawa (WSU) def. Ares Teixido Garcia (UO) 6-2, 3-1 ret.
No. 3 Myah Petchey (UO) def. Elyse Tse (WSU) 6-2, 6-7 (8), 6-4
No. 4 Uxia Martinez Moral (UO) def. Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 Karin Young (UO) def. Hania Abouelsaad (WSU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
No. 6 Jo-Yee Chan (UO) def. Tiffany Phout (WSU) 6-1, 7-5
Order of Finish: 2,4,1,3,6,5