3 Bruins advance to NCAA tennis individual quarterfinals
By Chris Kalra
May 23, 2014 5:42 p.m.
After day three of NCAA tennis individual play from Athens, Ga., just three Bruin men’s and women’s tennis players combined are left in competition.
Junior Marcos Giron and freshman Mackie McDonald both won their round of 16 matches Friday to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. Giron, seeded second, defeated Georgia’s Nathan Pasha in straight sets (7-6, 6-3). While, McDonald, though unseeded, upset 9-16 seed Nik Scholtz from Ole Miss (1-6, 6-3, 6-4).
Interestingly enough, if both McDonald and Giron win their respective quarterfinal matches – Giron against California’s Ben McLachlan and McDonald against Texas’ Soren Hess-Olesen (9-16 seed) – the two will square off in Saturday’s semifinal.
The pairing of Giron and McDonald, however, wasn’t as lucky in its doubles draw, where the two dropped their round of 16 matchup against the No. 2 seeded doubles pair from Tennessee (6-1, 6-4).
On the women’s side, junior Chanelle Van Nguyen (seed 9-16) won her round of 16 matchup – a 7-5, 6-2 defeat of Stanford’s Carol Zhao – to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal round, in which she’ll face Duke’s Ester Goldfield.
Of the three Bruin women’s tennis players in the round of 16 singles action Friday, Van Nguyen claimed the only victory. Both junior Robin Anderson (No. 2 seed) and freshman Jennifer Brady (No. 8 seed), who together lost in the first round of the doubles tournament Wednesday despite being the No. 1 seeded pair, bowed out of the individual portion of play as well on Friday
Anderson dropped a straight set result (6-1, 6-4) to her unseeded opponent, Virginia’s Danielle Collins. Likewise, Brady suffered a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to California’s Lynn Chi.
Compiled by Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff
