No. 19 UCLA women’s tennis rolls past Rutgers, 5-0, in regular season home finale

The Bruins (15-7, 10-3 Big Ten) took control early, securing the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle battled a 7-5 victory over Rutgers’ top pair of Naomi Karki and Mai Nguyen, while Olivia Center and Kate Fakih picked up a 6-4 win. Court three was left unfinished, with Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer leading 6-5.

Carrying that momentum into singles play, UCLA made quick work of the Scarlet Knights, taking four straight-set wins to clinch the match. Hance dominated on court one with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, followed closely by Bianca Fernandez’s 6-1, 6-2 triumph on court six. Wagle notched a 6-2, 6-4 win on court two, and Guichard sealed the sweep with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 performance on court four.

Fakih and Center were in tight second sets on courts three and five when the match was clinched, leaving those contests unfinished.

With the win, the Bruins finish their home slate strong and build valuable momentum heading into the postseason.

Match Results

Doubles

1. Hance/Wagle (UCLA) def. Karki/Nguyen (RUT), 7-5
2. Center/Fakih (UCLA) def. Zeynep Ilker/ Minchae Kim (RUT), 6-4
3. Guichard/Lutkemeyer (UCLA) vs. Zuzanna Frankowska/Cindy Zhou (RUT), 6-5, unfinished
4. Order of Finish: 2, 1

Singles

1. Hance (UCLA) def. Nguyen (RUT), 6-1, 6-0
2. Wagle (UCLA) def. Frankowska (RUT), 6-2, 6-4
3. Fakih (UCLA) vs. Karina Jumazhanova (RUT), 6-4, 5-4, unfinished
4. Guichard (UCLA) def. Jackeline Lopez (RUT), 6-1, 6-3
5. Center (UCLA) vs. Kim (RUT), 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
6. Fernandez (UCLA) def. Karki (RUT), 6-1, 6-2

Order of Finish: 1, 6, 2, 4

Gallery:

UCLA Tennis umpire chair. Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.

UCLA player swings racket as she serves the ball in. Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.

UCLA player kneels down as she awaits her doubles partner to serve in. Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.

UCLA player swings racket in mid air to serve ball over net. Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.

Rutgers and UCLA players greet each other with high fives after finishing a doubles match. Photographed by Luana Caravalho/BruinLife.