The No. 24-ranked UCLA Bruins women’s tennis team put on a clinic early Sunday, shutting out the Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-0 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. With the spring sun shining, the Bruins dropped just five games in their completed singles matches, flexing a performance that left little room for doubt.
UCLA secured the doubles point early with strong performances on courts 2 and 3. No. 3-ranked duo of Kate Fakih and Olivia Center broke serve in the first game on court 2 and never looked back, posting a 6-4 victory over Jeselle Ante and Sofia Pinto. Similarly, on court 3, Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer closed strong, winning the last three games—including two clutch breaks—for a 6-3 victory. The top pairing of No. 16 Kimmi Hance and Elise Wagle led 5-4 on court 1 when the doubles point was sealed.
Single play was even more one-sided. All six Bruins took their first sets 6-0 or 6-1, and UCLA quickly wrapped things up. No. 22-ranked Lutkemeyer set the tone on court 1, dismantling Aiva Schmitz 6-0, 6-1 for her seventh win in her last eight matches. On court 6, sophomore Bianca Fernandez returned from nearly a month off and didn’t miss a beat, beating Deniz Turan by the same scoreline for her first dual-match win of the year. Once again, it was No. 44-ranked Fakih who sealed the deal. She came through on court 3 with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Pinto – her fourth clincher of the season.
Minnesota, now 9-13 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play, struggled to find footing after a tough match against USC the day prior. Despite featuring solid doubles players like Anali Kocevar and Mia Liepert, the Gophers couldn’t match the Bruins’ pace or execution. Next up, UCLA hits the road for a Midwest swing. They’ll face Iowa on Friday, April 11 at 3 p.m. PT.
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Featured Image Photographed by Nicolas Greamo/Daily Bruin.
