Stanford, Cal women reach last 16 in NCAA singles

   Two women from Stanford and one from Cal on Thursday reached the singles round of 16 at the NCAA Championships in Urbana, Ill.
   Advancing were defending champion Nicole Gibbs and freshman Krista Hardebeck of Stanford and sophomore Zsofi Susanyi of Cal.
   All three are scheduled to play today at 9 a.m. PDT. All singles and doubles matches will be streamed live at www.ncaa.com.
   Gibbs, a junior from Santa Monica, is trying to become the first woman since Stanford's Amber Liu in 2003-04 to win consecutive NCAA singles titles. Liu is married to International Tennis Hall of Famer Michael Chang.
   Gibbs, seeded 9-16, will face fourth-seeded Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar of Texas A&M for the second time in four days. Gibbs won 0-6, 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles in the Cardinal's 4-3 victory over the Aggies on Tuesday in the NCAA team final.
   Fifth-seeded Zsofi Susanyi of Cal dismissed Lucia Batta of UNLV 6-3, 6-4 in an all-Hungarian matchup. Susani, a semifinalist last year, will take on 9-16 seed Yana Koroleva of Clemson.   Meanwhile, Cal freshman Klara Fabikova and Santa Clara junior Katie Le lost. So did all three doubles teams from Northern California schools, two women's and two men's, in the first round.
   Most notably, 5-8 seeds Kristie Ahn and Gibbs fell to Isaura Enrique and Samantha Vickers of Tulsa 6-2, 6-4. Therefore, Stanford's streak of three consecutive women's doubles champions will end. Gibbs won last year's crown with Mallory Burdette, who turned pro last September after her junior year.
   Also losing on Thursday were Cal's Campbell Johnson and Christoffer Konigsfeldt, the Men's Doubles Team of the Year in the Pacific-12 Conference.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Urbana, Ill.

(Matches involving players from Northern California schools only)

Women's second-round singles

   Nicole Gibbs (9-16), Stanford, def. Ronit Yurovsky, Michigan, 6-4, 6-4.
   Zsofi Susanyi (5), Cal, def. Lucia Batta, UNLV, 6-3, 6-4.
   Krista Hardebeck (9-16), Stanford, def. Cindy Chala, Virginia Commonwealth, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
   Mary Weatherholt (9-16), Nebraska, def. Klara Fabikova, Cal, 6-2, 6-1.
   Robin Anderson (3), UCLA, def. Katie Le, Santa Clara, 7-6 (1), 6-2.

 Women's first-round doubles

   Isaura Enrique and Samantha Vickers, Tulsa, def. Kristie Ahn and Nicole Gibbs (5-8), Stanford, 6-2, 6-4.
   Lauren Embree and Sophie Oyen, Florida, def. Stacey Tan and Ellen Tsay, Stanford, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

 Men's first-round doubles

   Daniel Cochrane and Andreas Mies (5-8), Auburn, def. Campbell Johnson and Christoffer Konigsfeldt, Cal, 7-5, 6-1.

Defending champ Gibbs advances in NCAA singles

   One day after helping the Stanford women win the NCAA team title, Nicole Gibbs successfully began the defense of her singles crown.
   The junior from Santa Monica defeated Yang Pang of Arkansas 7-5, 6-4 in the first round today in Urbana, Ill.
   Gibbs is seeded only 9-16 because she played professional tournaments in the fall as an amateur. That reduced her chances to beat top college players, the basis for the collegiate rankings.
   Also advancing today were Stanford freshman Krista Hardebeck of Santa Ana, Cal sophomore Zsofi Susanyi of Hungary, Cal freshman Klara Fabikova of the Czech Republic and Santa Clara junior Katie Le of Milpitas.
   Susanyi, who reached last year's semifinals, is seeded fifth, and Hardebeck is No. 9-16. Le earned the first NCAA singles victory in school history.
   Falling in the first round were eighth-seeded Anett Schutting of Cal, Kristie Ahn of Stanford, Klaudia Boczova of San Jose State and Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary's. Ahn had clinched Stanford's dramatic 4-3 victory over Texas A&M in Tuesday's NCAA team final.
   Jacqueline Cako of Arizona State upset top-seeded Lauren Embree of Florida 6-3, 6-2.
   All three men from Northern California schools -- Ben McLachlan and Campbell Johnson of Cal and John Morrissey of Stanford -- lost in the first round.
   The top two men's seeds also fell. Mitchell Frank, the hero of Virginia's 4-3 victory over UCLA in Tuesday's NCAA team final, routed No. 1 Mikelis Libietis of Tennessee 6-2, 6-1. Tsvetan Mihov of South Carolina ousted No. 2 Alex Domijan of Virginia 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.   
   Men's and women's second-round singles and first-round doubles matches are scheduled for Thursday.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Urbana, Ill.
(Matches involving players from Northern California schools only)

Women's first-round singles

   Stephanie Wagner, Miami, def. Klaudia Boczova, San Jose State, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

   Petra Niedermayerova (9-16), Kansas State, def. Kristie Ahn, Stanford, 6-2, 6-1.

   Nicole Gibbs (9-16), Stanford, def. Yang Pang, Arkansas, 7-5, 6-4.

   Zsofi Susanyi (5), Cal, def. Caroline Rohde-Moe, Mississippi, 6-3, 6-0.

   Yana Koroleva (9-16), Clemson, def. Jenny Jullien, Saint Mary's, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

   Krista Hardebeck (9-16), Stanford, def. Pleun Burgmans, Auburn, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

   Klara Fabikova, Cal, def. Whitney Kay, North Carolina, 7-5, 6-2.

   Katie Le, Santa Clara, def. Emina Bektas, Michigan, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

   Natalie Beazant, Rice, def. Anett Schutting (8), Cal, 7-5, 6-3.

Men's first-round singles

   Guillermo Alcorta, Oklahoma, def. Campbell Johnson, Cal, 6-2, 6-4.
   Anthony Rossi (4), Kentucky, def. John Morrissey, Stanford, 6-2, 6-2.
   Blaz Rola (9-16), Ohio State, def. Ben McLachlan, Cal, 6-2, 7-6 (4).

Ahn lifts Stanford women to NCAA title; rankings, etc.

Kristie Ahn, competing in the $25,000 Redding Challenger last
September, won the decisive match as Stanford edged Texas
A&M 4-3 for its 17th NCAA title. Photo by Paul Bauman

   She sat on the sideline with an ankle injury as Stanford lost the 2011 NCAA final, ending the Cardinal's home winning streak at 184 matches spanning more than 12 years.
   She missed most of last season with various injuries.
   She lost a potential clinching match in this year's NCAA round of 16.
   So Kristie Ahn's victory on Tuesday in Urbana, Ill., clinching No. 12 Stanford's dramatic 4-3 win over No. 3 Texas A&M for the NCAA title, was especially gratifying.
   The 25th-ranked Ahn, a junior from Upper Saddle River, N.J., outlasted No. 68 Cristina Stancu, a junior from Romania, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 2 singles as Stanford became the lowest seed to win the NCAA title. 
   "Honestly, it's such a cliche, but words really can't explain this one," Ahn said on gostanford.com. "From my freshman year, I've wanted this moment, and I've been bugged by injuries, and to clinch makes it that much better.
   "When we played USC in the round of 16, I had a shot. It could've come down to me, and I could've clinched, but (Danielle Lao) played well, and I didn't get that and was pretty upset.
   "Last night, I was thinking, 'How sick would it be if I could clinch tomorrow?' And when I got to 2-2 in the third set, I was smiling. I was having the best time of my life because I was thinking about how absurd it was that it was coming down to me."
   Stanford leads all teams with 17th NCAA women's tennis championships. Next is Florida with six.
   The Cardinal emerged this time by knocking off top-five teams in its last four matches. Stanford toppled No. 5 USC 4-3 in a five-hour thriller in the round of 16, No. 4 Georgia 4-1 in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Florida, the two-time defending champion, 4-3 in another nail-biter in the semifinals.
   Ahn could have given Stanford a 4-2 victory over Pacific-12 Conference rival USC but lost to No. 9 Lao 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 at No. 2 singles. Ellen Tsay, a sophomore from Pleasanton in the San Francisco Bay Area, saved the Cardinal with a three-set victory at No. 5 singles.
   Freshman Krista Hardebeck provided the clincher against Florida at No. 3 singles.
   No. 2 Virginia captured its first men's title, edging No. 1 UCLA 4-3. No. 39 Mitchell Frank won the clincher, saving a match point in his  0-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 22 Adrien Puget at No. 3 singles.

   The Cavaliers had lost in the final the past two years to USC. 

No. 12 Stanford 4, No. 3 Texas A&M 3

Doubles

   1. No. 18 Stancu/Hristov (TAM) d. No. 8 Ahn/Gibbs 8-3.
   2. No. 28 Tan/Tsay (STAN) d. No. 49 Wen/Sanchez-Quintanar 8-4.
   3. Dillon/Hardebeck (STAN) d. Deheza/Deheza 8-5.
   Order of finish: 1, 2, 3.

Singles

   1. No. 13 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 4 Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar 0-6, 6-2, 6-0.
   2. No. 25 Kristie Ahn (STAN) d. No. 68 Cristina Stancu 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.
   3. No. 52 Nazari Urbina (TAM) d. No. 14 Krista Hardebeck 6-3, 7-6 (3).
   4. No. 103 Stacey Tan (STAN) d. Ines Deheza 7-5, 6-3.
   5. Anna Mamalat (TAM) d. No. 92 Ellen Tsay 6-1, 7-5.
   6. Stefania Hristov (TAM) d. Natalie Dillon 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
   Order of finish: 4, 1, 5, 3, 6, 2.
   ATP World Tour -- Dmitry Tursunov, a Moscow native based in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, suffered his first doubles loss of the year on Tuesday.
   Tursunov and Jonathan Erlich of Israel fell to fourth-seeded Frederik Nielsen of Denmark and Andre Sa of Brazil 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 match tiebreaker in the quarterfinals of the Power Horse Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany.
   Last year, Nielsen and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain became the first wild cards in Wimbledon's 135-year history to win the men's doubles title. Erlich, 36, won the 2008 Australian Open with countryman Andy Ram.
   The Power Horse Cup is only Tursunov's second doubles tournament this year. He and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland won four matches for the BMW Open title in Munich three weeks ago.
   Tursunov has had to play singles qualifying in most tournaments this year, preventing him from competing in doubles. He has climbed from No. 123 to No. 58 in singles and from No. 285 to No. 149 in doubles since Feb. 1 after battling injuries. His career highs are No. 20 in singles in 2006 and No. 36 in doubles in 2008.
   Trying to ensure that he's healthy for the French Open, which starts Sunday, Tursunov withdrew from his first-round singles match in Dusseldorf against eighth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia. Tursunov pulled a hamstring muscle in his final practice for last week's Italian Open.

PRO RANKINGS

   Following are this week's world rankings of professional players with Northern California ties (change from last week in parentheses):

Men

   Bob Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.

   Mike Bryan, 1998 NCAA doubles champion from Stanford -- Career-high No. 1 in doubles (no change), unranked in singles.
   Mardy Fish, Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis (2012-13) -- No. 41 in singles (-1), No. 338 in doubles (-4).
   Bradley Klahn, 2010 NCAA singles champion and 2011 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- No. 184 in singles (+1), No. 347 in doubles (-4).
   Scott Lipsky, 2002 NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford -- Career-high No. 22 in doubles (+2), unranked in singles.
   Sam Querrey, San Francisco native, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 20 in singles (-1), No. 96 in doubles (+2).
   Ryan Sweeting, Capitals (2012-13) -- No. 268 in singles (no change), No. 852 in doubles (-18).
   Dmitry Tursunov, Folsom resident from Russia -- No. 58 in singles (-1), No. 149 in doubles (-1).

Women

   Mallory Burdette, NCAA singles runner-up in 2012 and NCAA doubles champion in 2011 and 2012 from Stanford -- Career-high No. 82 in singles (+3), No. 358 in doubles (+9). 
   Raquel Kops-Jones, 2003 NCAA doubles champion from Cal -- No. 14 in doubles (no change), No. 1,133 in singles (+2).

   Megan Moulton-Levy, Capitals (2013) -- No. 64 in doubles (+1), unranked in singles.

   Maria Sanchez, Modesto product -- No. 115 in singles (+11), No. 119 in doubles (+6).

   Taylor Townsend, Capitals (2013) -- Career-high No. 344 in singles (+5), No. 536 in doubles (+1). 

TV SCHEDULE

(All times PDT)
Wednesday

   Dusseldorf (men), early rounds, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).

Thursday 

   Brussels (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 5-9 a.m. (live), 9-11 a.m. (delay), 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (repeat), 8 p.m.-midnight (repeat).
   Dusseldorf (men), quarterfinalss, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay).

Friday

   Brussels (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 5-9 a.m. (live), 9-11 a.m. (repeat).
   Nice (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (delay).

   Dusseldorf (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay).

Saturday

   Brussels (women), final, Tennis Channel, 6:30-8:30 a.m. (live), 6:30-8:30 p.m. (repeat).
   Strasbourg (women), final, Tennis Channel, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (delay).
   Nice (men), final, Tennis Channel, 2:30-4:30 p.m. (delay).
   Dusseldorf (men), final, Tennis Channel, 4:30-6:30 p.m. (delay).

   Sunday

   FRENCH OPEN, first round, ESPN2, 2-7 a.m. (live); Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. (live); NBC, 9 a.m.-noon (live).

   Monday

   FRENCH OPEN, first round, ESPN2, 2-7 a.m. (live); Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. (live); NBC, 9 a.m.-noon (live).

   Tuesday

   FRENCH OPEN, first round, ESPN2, 2-7 a.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. (live).

 CALENDAR

   Wednesday-Monday -- NCAA Men's and Women's Individual Championships, Urbana, Ill., www.ncaa.com, www.fightingillini.com.
   Sunday-June 9 -- FRENCH OPEN, www.rolandgarros.com. 2012 champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Max Mirnyi-Daniel Nestor, Sara Errani-Roberta Vinci.
   June 24-July 7 -- WIMBLEDON, www.wimbledon.com. 2012 champions: Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Jonathan Marray-Frederik Nielsen, Serena Williams-Venus Williams.
   June 29-July 6 -- $50,000 Gold River Women's Challenger, Gold River Racquet Club, Gold River, Calif., www.usta.com. 2012 champions: Maria Sanchez, Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack.
   July 6-8 -- West Coast Junior Championships, Rio del Oro Racquet Club, 119 Scripps Dr., Sacramento 95825, www.norcal.usta.com.
   July 7 -- Sacramento Capitals open season vs. Texas Wild in World TeamTennis, Capitals Stadium at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, Calif., 7:35 p.m., www.saccaps.com.   
   July 22-28 -- Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, www.bankofthewestclassic.com. 2012 champions: Serena Williams, Marina Erakovic-Heather Watson. 
   July 25 -- World TeamTennis conference championships at highest seeds, www.wtt.com.

   July 28 -- World TeamTennis Finals at Eastern Conference champion, www.wtt.com.
   Aug. 5-11 -- $100,00 Comerica Bank Challenger, Seascape Sports Club, Aptos, Calif., www.seascapesportsclub.com/challenger. 2012 champions: Steve Johnson, Rik de Voest-John Peers.

Stanford women upset No. 1 Florida, reach NCAA final

Krista Hardebeck, shown in last year's Australian
Open girls doubles, gave No. 12 Stanford a 4-3
victory over No. 1 Florida in the semifinals of the
NCAA Championships. Photo by Paul Bauman

    Normally, a college team doesn't want a dual match to come down to a freshman.
   Krista Hardebeck, however, is no ordinary freshman.
   At 15, the resident of Santa Ana in the Los Angeles area was featured in the Aug. 2, 2010, issue of Sports Illustrated as a future star. The following year, she reached the semifinals of a $25,000 professional tournament and the quarterfinals of a $50,000 pro event.
   Hardebeck, who arrived at Stanford last fall as the top recruit in the country, has lived up to expectations. On Monday, she notched the biggest win of her collegiate career, clinching the No. 12 Cardinal's dramatic 4-3 victory over No. 1 and two-time defending champion Florida in the semifinals of the NCAA Team Championships in Urbana, Ill.
   After trailing 5-1 in the second set, the 14th-ranked Hardebeck rallied to defeat Alexandra Cercone, a junior ranked 51st, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3 at No. 3 singles.   
   "In the third set, I could tell she was maybe getting a little tired," Hardebeck, who leads Stanford with 34 singles victories this season, said on gostanford.com. "I just told myself to really keep pressing. I knew that the longer I could keep her out here was going to be to my benefit. I knew once it got to 3-3 (in the third set) that I had a really good chance to outlast her."
   Stanford, the lowest seed to reach the title match since No. 12 UCLA lost to Georgia Tech in 2007, has knocked off three top-five teams in a row. The Cardinal toppled No. 5 USC 4-3 in a five-hour thriller in the round of 16 and No. 4 Georgia 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
   Stanford (21-4) will try to make it four straight when it plays No. 3 Texas A&M for the title on Tuesday at 3 p.m. PDT. The Aggies edged No. 7 UCLA 4-3 to prevent an all-Pacific-12 Conference final. Stanford seeks its 17th NCAA women's team championship, and first since 2010, and Texas A&M its first. The dual match will be streamed live at www.ncaa.com.
   The Cardinal raced to a 3-0 lead against Florida with victories in the doubles and at the top two singles positions before the Gators tied the score with wins in the last three singles spots.
   A marquee matchup at No. 1 singles turned into a rout as Nicole Gibbs, the defending NCAA singles (and doubles) champion, crushed top-ranked Lauren Embree 6-0, 6- 1 to give Stanford a 2-0 lead.
   "I'm still in shock," said Gibbs, a junior from Santa Monica in the Los Angeles area. "I was not expecting that kind of victory. Honestly, I felt like I was out there fighting for every game because Lauren Embree doesn't give you any room for messing around. If I had let her in during the first set or second set, she would have clawed her way back into the match. I was really disciplined to the game plan I came in with, and that was able to keep me calm and centered when I was down."
  Stanford improved to 18-13 all-time against Florida and 10-3 in the postseason. The Gators had won 4-2 in Gainesville, Fla., on Feb. 24. The Cardinal avenged not only that loss but a heartbreaking 4-3 setback in the 2011 NCAA final at Stanford. Playing without then-No.15 Kristie Ahn at No. 4 singles because of an ankle injury, Stanford suffered its first home loss in 185 matches spanning more than 12 seasons.
   In the deciding match of the 2011 final at No. 2 singles, Stanford's Mallory Burdette led 4-0 in the third set before falling to Embree 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in a battle of sophomores. Burdette turned pro last September and has climbed to No. 82 in the world.
   Ahn, now a junior ranked 25th, gave Stanford its 3-0 lead Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over No. 17 Sophie Oyen at No. 2 singles.      
   In today's men's final, No. 1 UCLA will face No. 2 Virginia, the runner-up to USC the last two years.

No. 12 Stanford 4, No. 1 Florida 3

Doubles

    1. No. 8 Ahn/Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 11 Embree/Oyen 8-3.
    2. No. 28 Tan/Tsay (STAN) d. Cercone/Hitimana 8-3.
    3. Danielle Collins/Morgan (FLA) led Dillon/Hardebeck 6-3.
    Order of finish: 1, 2.

Singles

    1. No. 13 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 1 Lauren Embree 6-0, 6-1.
    2. No. 25 Kristie Ahn (STAN) d. No. 17 Sofie Oyen 6-1, 6-4.
    3. No. 14 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) d. No. 51 Alexandra Cercone 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-3.
    4. No. 89 Brianna Morgan (FLA) d. No. 103 Stacey Tan 6-1, 6-3.
    5. No. 123 Olivia Janowicz (FLA) d. No. 92 Ellen Tsay 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
    6. Caroline Hitimana (FLA) d. Natalie Dillon 1-6, 6-1, 6-0.
    Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 3.
   ATP World Tour -- Dmitry Tursunov, returning from a pulled hamstring muscle suffered while practicing for last week's Italian Open, remained undefeated in doubles this year with a first-round victory in the Power Horse Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany.
   Tursunov, a Moscow native based in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, and Jonathan Erlich of Israel edged Tommy Haas of Germany and Michael Russell of the United States 6-4, 6-7 (5), 10-8 match tiebreaker. Tursunov, 30, is the youngster of the four. Erlich is 36, and Haas and Russell are both 35.
   Tursunov and Erlich will meet fourth-seeded Frederik Nielsen of Denmark and Andre Sa of Brazil on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Last year, Nielsen and Jonathan Marray of Great Britain became the first wild cards in Wimbledon's 135-year history to win the men's doubles title. Erlich won the 2008 Australian Open with countryman Andy Ram.
   The Power Horse Cup is only Tursunov's second doubles tournament this year. He and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland won four matches for the BMW Open title in Munich three weeks ago.
   Tursunov has had to play singles qualifying in most tournaments this year, preventing him from competing in doubles. He has climbed from No. 123 to No. 58 in singles and from No. 285 to No. 149 in doubles since Feb. 1 after battling injuries. His career highs are No. 20 in singles in 2006 and No. 36 in doubles in 2008.
   Trying to ensure that he's ready for the French Open, which starts Sunday, Tursunov withdrew from his first-round singles match in Dusseldorf against eighth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.

Stanford wins, Cal falls in NCAA women's quarters

  The Cal women couldn't knock off top-ranked and two-time defending champion Florida at the NCAA Team Championships in Urbana, Ill.
   Now Stanford gets a chance.
   The Gators eliminated the Bears 4-2 in today's quarterfinals. In the clinching match, No. 116 Caroline Hitimana defeated Annie Goransson 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6 singles.
   No. 12 Stanford upset its second straight top-five team, topping No. 4 Georgia 4-1. After stunning No. 5 USC 4-3 in a five-hour thriller on Friday, the Cardinal won a match despite losing the doubles point for the first time in two years.
   Krista Hardebeck, ranked 14th, clinched Stanford's victory with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 decision over No. 104 Silvia Garcia in a matchup of freshmen at No. 3 singles.
   Stanford, a 16-time NCAA champion, advanced to the semifinals for the 28th time in 32 years. But the Cardinal became the lowest-seeded team to reach the semis since No. 12 UCLA in 2007.
   Stanford (20-4) will meet Florida (26-2) on Monday at 3 p.m. PDT. The dual match will be streamed live at www.ncaa.com.
   The Cardinal will be out for revenge after losing a 4-3 heartbreaker to the Gators in the 2011 NCAA final at Stanford. Playing without 15th-ranked Kristie Ahn at No. 4 singles because of an ankle injury, Stanford suffered its first home loss in 185 matches spanning more than 12 seasons.
   In the deciding match at No. 2 singles, Stanford's Mallory Burdette led 4-0 in the third set before falling to Lauren Embree 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in a battle of sophomores. Burdette turned pro last September and has climbed to No. 82 in the world. Embree is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA for Florida.
   Ahn is now a junior who plays No. 2 singles for Stanford. She is ranked No. 25.
   In today's other quarterfinals, No. 7 UCLA pounded No. 2 North Carolina 4-1, and No. 3 Texas A&M whipped No. 6 Miami 4-0.
   ATP World Tour -- Former Stanford stars Bob and Mike Bryan won their sixth doubles title of the year and 88th overall on Sunday. The top-seeded American twins defeated sixth-seeded Indians Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna 6-2, 6-3 in 52 minutes to capture the Italian Open in Rome for the third time.

NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Urbana, Ill.

Women's quarterfinals

No. 12 Stanford 4, No. 4 Georgia 1

Doubles

1. No. 1 Fuller/Garcia (UGA) d. No. 8 Ahn/Gibbs 8-5.
2. No. 52 Herring/Kowase (UGA) led No. 28 Tan/Tsay 6-4, abandoned.
3. Lilly Kimbell/King (UGA) d. Dillon/Hardebeck 8-3.
Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles 

1. No. 13 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) led No. 6 Lauren Herring 6-1, 3-6, 3-0, abandoned.
2. No. 25 Kristie Ahn (STAN) d. No. 19 Maho Kowase 6-0, 6-1.
3. No. 14 Krista Hardebeck (STAN) d. No. 104 Silvia Garcia 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.
4. No. 103 Stacy Tan (STAN) d. Kate Fuller 6-4, 7-5.
5. No. 92 Ellen Tsay (STAN) d. Ayaka Okuno 6-1, 6-2.
6. Mia King (UGA) led Natalie Dillon 6-1, 6-5, abandoned
Order of finish: 2, 5, 4, 3

No. 1 Florida 4, No. 8 Cal 2

Doubles

1. No. 11 Lauren Embree/Sofie Oyen (FLA) vs. No. 33 Lynn Chi/Anett Schutting 8-4.
2. Klara Fabikova/Annie Goransson (CAL) def. Alexandra Cercone/Caroline Hitimana 8-4.
3. Danielle Collins/Brianna Morgan (FLA) def. Kelly Chui/TaylerDavis 8-4.
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1 

Singles

1. No. 1 Lauren Embree (FLA) def. No. 8 Anett Schutting 6-2, 6-0.
2. No. 43 Klara Fabikova (CAL) def. No. 17 Sofie Oyen 7-5, 6-4.
3. No. 5 Zsofi Susanyi (CAL) def. No. 51 Alexandra Cercone 6-1, 6-1.
4. No. 70 Lynn Chi (CAL) vs. No. 89 Brianna Morgan, abandoned.
5. No. 123 Olivia Janowicz (FLA) def. Tayler Davis 6-1, 6-4.
6. No. 116 Caroline Hitimana (FLA) def. Annie Goransson 6-3, 6-2.
Order of finish: 3, 1, 5, 2, 6 

Changes planned for Gold River Women's Challenger

Modesto product Maria Sanchez, left, beat Jessica Pegula in the final of last year's
inaugural $50,000 FSP Gold River Women's Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Seeking a better field and more fans, organizers are making several changes for the upcoming FSP Gold River Women's Challenger.
   Last year's inaugural $50,000 tournament was held during the first week of the French Open in late May and early June. That hurt the Gold River field because most players who had lost in French Open qualifying immediatedly traveled elsewhere in Europe to play on grass and begin preparing for Wimbledon a few weeks later.
   The top seed at Gold River was Russia's Elena Bovina, then ranked No. 243 in the world.
   All Gold River matches were played during the day, when many fans worked and temperatures soared into the 90s Fahrenheit (32 and above, Celsius), and culminated in a traditional Sunday final.
   This year's $50,000 tournament at the Gold River Racquet Club will be played five weeks later and feature night matches, including a Saturday final.
   The main draw is scheduled for July 1-6, the second week of Wimbledon. Qualifying will begin on Saturday, June 29.
   As soon as players lose at Wimbledon, including the qualifying event, many will head to the United States for the summer hardcourt season. Top-100 players generally will compete on the elite WTA tour, but several competitors ranked in the 100s likely will play at Gold River. The entry list will be released three weeks beforehand.
   Modesto product Maria Sanchez won her first professional singles title last year at Gold River after graduating from USC in 2011. Now ranked No. 126, she is mentored by International Tennis Hall of Famer Chris Evert in Boca Raton, Fla.
   Asia Muhammad and Sacramento-area resident Yasmin Schnack captured the Gold River doubles title last year, but Schnack retired at the end of last season at 24.
   Admission at Gold River will be free during qualifying, $10 Tuesday through Thursday during the main draw and $20 Friday and Saturday.
   For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.goldriverchallenger.com.

Stanford women stun USC in NCAA thriller

  The Stanford women admitted it.
  They wanted revenge against Pacific-12 Conference rival USC.
  Thanks to a series of clutch performances, especially by Ellen Tsay, they got it.
  Barely.
  No. 12 Stanford edged No. 5 USC 4-3 in a five-hour thriller on Friday in Urbana, Ill., to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championships. No. 8 Cal joined Stanford in the quarters, coasting past No. 9 Alabama 4-1. 
   Tsay, a sophomore from Pleasanton in the San Francisco Bay Area, won it for the Cardinal by outlasting Gabriella DeSimone 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 at No. 5 singles. Tsay won the last three games to clinch a match for a team-leading seventh time this season.
   "This is the first match I really felt like I clinched," Tsay, ranked No. 92, said on gostanford.com. "In the other ones I've clinched, other people on our team were up, and if I hadn't won my match, we probably would have won. This is the biggest moment for me so far in my two years." 
   USC defeated Stanford in the NCAA quarterfinals last year and routed the Cardinal 6-1 six weeks ago in Los Angeles.
   "It started from the moment I stepped on the court," Tsay said. "If I had waited until I was the clinching match and suddenly tried to be mentally tough, that wouldn't have worked. We were all very intense today. We really wanted to get our revenge from the previous matches. From the moment I stepped on the court, I was ready to hunker down."
   Added Stanford coach Lele Forood: "It was a marathon match. It's really sweet. We had to really battle through USC. They eliminated us in the tournament last year. They killed us 6-1 at their place a little over a month ago. We were looking for payback. It was a very close match, and really, it could have gone either way."
   Stanford won the doubles point with a 9-8 (2) victory by No. 8 Kristie Ahn and Nicole Gibbs over No. 2 Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria, the Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year that had been 32-0 this season.
   With Stanford leading 2-1, 13th-ranked Nicole Gibbs of the Cardinal overcame a 5-1 deficit in the first set to beat No. 2 Santamaria 7-6 (3), 6-2. Gibbs, a junior from Santa Monica, will defend her NCAA singles and doubles titles beginning Wednesday in Urbana.
   USC, however, rallied to tie the score 3-3. Sophomore Zoe Scandalis, ranked 27th, defeated freshman Krista Hardebeck, ranked 14th, 6-3, 7-6 (5), then No. 9 Danielle Lao pulled out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win over No. 25 Ahn.
   A few minutes later, Tsay completed her match against DeSimone.
   On Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT in the quarterfinals, Stanford (19-4) will meet No. 4 Georgia (24-3), and Cal (19-5) will play top seed and two-time defending champion Florida (25-2). The dual matches will be streamed live at www.ncaa.com.
   Florida lost its top player of the past two years when Allie Will turned pro after her junior season, but Gators senior Lauren Embree is ranked No. 1.
 See below for full Stanford and Cal results.
   Pac-12 men's awards -- The conference coaches voted Cal's Campbell Johnson and Christoffer Konigsfeldt as the Doubles Team of the Year and Johnson as the Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
   The coaches selected UCLA sophomore Dennis Novikov as the Singles Player of the Year and the Bruins' Billy Martin as the Coach of the Year.
   Johnson, a junior transfer from Georgia, and Konigsfeldt, a senior from Denmark, are 11-7 at No. 1 singles and ranked 26th nationally. They will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
   Johnson, who lives in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Santa Fe, played primarily at No. 3 singles and went 26-12 overall. Ranked 60th nationally, he was chosen as an alternate for the NCAA Singles Championships.

NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

In Urbana, Ill.

Women's round of 16

No. 8 Cal 4, No. 9 Alabama 1

Doubles

   1. No. 7 Alexa Guarachi/Mary Anne Macfarlane (Ala) def. No. 33 Lynn Chi/Anett Schutting, 8-5.
   2. Klara Fabikova/Annie Goransson (Cal) vs. No. 83 Antonia Foehse/Maya Jansen, abandoned.
   3. Natalia Maynetto/Emily Zabor (Ala) def. Kelly Chui/Tayler Davis, 8-5.
   Order of finish: 1.

   Singles

    1. No. 8 Anett Schutting (Cal) def. No. 34 Mary Anne Macfarlane, 6-3, 7-6 (1).
    2. No. 43 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. No. 36 Alexa Guarachi, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.
    3. No. 5 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) vs. Maya Jansen, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
    4. No. 70 Lynn Chi (Cal) def. No. 118 Antonia Foehse, 7-6 (1), 6-0.
    5. Tayler Davis (Cal) vs. Natalia Maynetto, abandoned.
    6. Annie Goransson (Cal) vs. Emily Zabor, abandoned.
    Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 3.
    Records: Cal 19-5, Alabama 21-6.

No. 12 Stanford 4, No. 5 USC 3

Doubles

   1. No. 8 Ahn/Gibbs (Stan) d. No. 2 Christian/Santamaria, 9-8 (2).
   2. Olmos/Scandalis (USC) d. No. 28 Tan/Tsay, 8-6.
   3. Dillon/Hardebeck (Stan) d. DeSimone/Lao, 8-1.
   Order of finish: 3, 2, 1.

Singles 

    1. No. 13 Nicole Gibbs (Stan) d. No. 2 Sabrina Santamaria, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
    2. No. 9 Danielle Lao (USC) d. No. 25 Kristie Ahn, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.
    3. No. 27 Zoe Scandalis (USC) d. No. 14 Krista Hardebeck, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
    4. No. 103 Stacey Tan (Stan) d. Giuliana Olmos, 6-2, 6-2.
    5. No. 92 Ellen Tsay (Stan) d. Gabriella DeSimone, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
    6. Kaitlyn Christian (USC) d. Natalie Dillon, 6-3, 6-1.
    Order of finish: 4, 6, 1, 3, 2, 5.
    Records: Stanford 19-4, USC 23-3.