UCLA tennis snags singles titles at USTA/ITA Regional Championships

With a commanding performance in San Diego, sophomore Robin Anderson assured herself of a return trip to the East Coast.

Anderson was masterful in the United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Regional Championships, losing just one set in six matches en route to the singles title with a straight-set victory over USC rival Sabrina Santamaria on Monday.

At last year’s tournament, Anderson and then-freshman Skylar Morton beat out the USC doubles pairing of Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian to win the 2011 USTA/ITA Regional doubles crown, earning a trip to the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in New York.

With her win Monday in the singles final, Anderson will again be making the trip to Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the site of the U.S. Open major tournament.

Sophomore Kaitlin Ray made it to the semifinals of the singles draw before being knocked off in three sets against Santamaria, the No. 2 seed.

Anderson was unable to repeat last year’s run to the doubles title. She paired up with senior Pamela Montez and the two were the top seed in the doubles draw. The pair made it all the way to the final before falling, 9-8, to the second-seeded doubles pair in the tournament.

The UCLA men’s tennis team experienced similar success in its trip to Irvine for the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships.

Two Bruin sophomores made it to the final of the main singles draw, setting up an interesting matchup to decide who goes to New York.

In the final, Marcos Giron outdueled teammate Dennis Mkrtchian, winning in straight sets to claim the singles crown. Giron, the No. 5 seed, won 6-2, 6-1 over No. 11 seeded Mkrtchian.

Giron also paired up with sophomore Dennis Novikov in the doubles main draw, forming the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The two made it to the quarterfinals before being knocked out by No. 5 seeded USC, 8-4.

Likewise, Mkrtchian also played in the doubles draw, pairing with senior Warren Hardie.

The pairing also made it to the quarterfinals, but were similarly knocked out by the No. 1 seed in the draw, another pair of Trojans, 8-6.

After a successful summer which included qualifying for the U.S. Open, Novikov struggled to live up to expectations in Irvine.

Novikov, the No. 2 seed in the singles draw, was knocked out in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round.

Anderson’s return trip to New York, along with men’s singles champion Giron, will begin Nov. 8 when the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships commence.

Compiled by Tyler Drohan, Bruin Sports senior staff.
Email Drohan at [email protected].