The USC women’s tennis team left San Francisco with a productive weekend at the annual Battle in the Bay, as four Trojans combined for nine wins across the event.
Two of those wins stood out right away: Lexi Wolf and Kiara Zabkova both picked up the first NCAA singles victories of their collegiate careers in the round of 32. Wolf handled Mille Johanna Moerk of California 6-3, 6-2, while Zabkova knocked off Pepperdine’s [2] #70 Chantal Sauvant 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Immi Haddad also opened with a win for USC, outlasting Yelyzaveta Chainykova of LMU 6-0, 4-6, 6-4. Simone Kay, meanwhile, fell to Isabella Wong of UCSB 6-1, 6-1.
The Trojans’ singles run hit a tougher stretch in the round of 16. Zabkova was stopped by California’s Laura Cilekova 6-1, 6-1, Wolf lost to [3] Patricija Paukstyte of Georgia 6-3, 6-4, and Haddad was beaten by Lily Pradkin of UCSB 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Kay also dropped her consolation qualifying match to Purdue’s Reese Frank 7-5, 7-5.
USC did add more singles wins in Saturday’s extra matches. Haddad defeated Wong 6-4, 6-0, Kay beat Lera Alexin of Colorado 6-0, 7-6(5), Zabkova topped Soledad Fayos Capilla of SJSU 6-1, 6-3, and Wolf got past Priya Nelson of SMC 6-3, 6-2.
In doubles, the Trojans also had their share of battles. Haddad and Wolf fell to Duke’s Claire An and Ava Krug 8-3 in the round of 16.
Kay and Zabkova then pushed Colorado’s Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo to a tight 8-7(6) decision in the quarterfinals before coming up short. Haddad and Wolf later lost 6-1 to Priya Nelson and Stella Remander of SMC.
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