Three, two, one…then one, two, three.
Thus was the order of finish for doubles and singles matches on Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, a fitting numerical rise and fall to parallel the ascent of freshman Kate Fakih – who earned her fifth Big Ten weekly award on Wednesday – and the final few outings in blue-and-gold for seniors Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle.
The pairing’s second-to-last regular season matchup began with the opportunity to clinch the doubles point for the Bruins. Sophomore Ahmani Guichard and junior Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer had emerged triumphant on court three after a decisive 6-2 battle with junior Tamari Gagoshidze and freshman Oliwia Orlinska, but the freshmen duo on court two – Olivia Center and Fakih – fell to graduate Danielle Hack and senior Kallista Liu, 6-4.
Hance and Wagle broke the tie with a game sealing ace and swift 6-4 defeat of sophomore Diya Challa and freshman Ema Kovacevic to notch an overall score of 1-0 for UCLA, a memorable exhibition of their tenacity and hard-earned experience as the No. 18 nationally ranked pairing.
Their streak of mastery followed them to their singles matches on courts two and three, where Hance battled Kovacevic and Wagle went head-to-head with Hack. With the Bruins already leading 2-0 thanks to Lutkemeyer’s 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Liu on court one, the team was poised for success, and the seniors refused to let victory slip through their fingers.
Hance walked away with scores of 6-1, 6-3, whilst Wagle topped off the Bruin-Terp matchup with a 6-3, 6-2 clincher, allowing the players on the bottom three courts – Fakih, Guichard and Center – to leave their losing matches unfinished.
Though the former Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year’s role in UCLA’s seventh straight win is a cause worthy of celebration in itself, the true commemoration of their impact will take place on Saturday afternoon’s Senior Day. The regular season’s concluding matchup with Rutgers will follow the festivities, and the Bruins will strive to secure an eighth consecutive win with Hance and Wagle at the helm for one last time.
Gallery:
Kimmi Hance celebrates as she wins a game. Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife.
Kimmi Hance lunges for a difficult backhand. Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife.
UMD players huddle and chant before the start of the singles matches. Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife.
Oliwia Orlinska screams after missing a shot. Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife.
Ahmani Guichard returns a shot with a powerful backhand. Photographed by Aamani Maddukuri/BruinLife.
