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UCLA women’s tennis earns singles title, ranked wins at two fall tournaments

Stella Sampras Webster of UCLA women’s tennis looks on during a match. The 27th-year head coach oversaw three Bruins’ performances at the ITA All-American Championships. (Kaiya Pomeroy-Tso/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Olivia Simons

Oct. 13, 2022 10:47 a.m.

A new victor has emerged for the Bruins in an annual tradition on rival ground.

UCLA women’s tennis freshman Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer claimed the singles championship at the Women of Troy Invitational at the Marks Tennis Stadium over the weekend, defeating opponents from across the state to bring the Bruins a preseason crown on the Trojans’ turf.

“We’re so excited to have her (Lutkemeyer) here because she brings the work ethic and commitment that you want in an athlete,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “To watch her play at the Women of Troy and compete the way she did and really dominate some of those matches was very impressive.”

Lutkemeyer – playing in her second tournament as a Bruin – earned three straight-set singles wins over the course of the three-day tournament to earn the title.

The freshman started off the tournament by defeating a junior in Loyola Marymount’s Stefania Rogozinska-Dzik. Her 6-2, 6-4 win on day one earned her a match with Trojan Emma Charney on day two. In the battle of blue-chip freshmen, Lutkemeyer emerged victorious with a 6-3, 6-3 decision.

Lutkemeyer dropped just one game in her day three crown-clinching victory over UC Santa Barbara’s freshman Calissa Dellabarca.

After competing for the first time as a Bruin at the Intercollegiate Championships, which lasted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, Lutkemeyer said her game improved between the two tournaments.

“This past weekend, I just did a better job of playing my game,” Lutkemeyer said. “Courts at ‘SC are not as slow, so I was definitely able to move up to the ball, and I was just playing less passively, so I think overall that helped me get a good three solid matches in.”

Senior Sasha Vagramov joined Lutkemeyer in the singles bracket, while junior Vanessa Ong and senior Caroline Goldberg joined the pair on the doubles side.

Juxtaposed with Lutkemeyer’s singles championship, the Bruins dropped all six of their doubles matches at the invitational across six different doubles combinations. Of the six pairs, only two had previously played together in the 2021-2022 season, and neither pair had played for more than three matches that year.

“We’re definitely experimenting with doubles pairings,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s (doubles is) going to be a priority for us based on what we saw in those matches because it wasn’t the doubles that we’re used to. The more they compete, the more we’ll be able to delve in on some of the weaknesses we may have.”

ITA All-American Championships

Three Bruin underclassmen were also in competition three time zones away.

No. 98 sophomore Kimmi Hance, freshman Fangran Tian and sophomore Ava Catanzarite flew to Cary, North Carolina for the ITA All-American Championships from Oct. 3-9. All three Bruins defeated a ranked opponent, and each advanced to the qualifying round, with Catanzarite seeing further action in qualifying consolation.

Catanzarite logged consecutive ranked wins in the consolation bracket against Vanderbilt’s No. 76 junior Anessa Lee and Wake Forest’s No. 86 junior Casie Wooten.

Tian, who is originally from Beijing, made her debut as a Bruin in Cary. The freshman took down five opponents, including No. 71 senior Ava Markham of Wisconsin and No. 64 junior Holly Staff of Vanderbilt.

“I enjoy playing with those high-level players, and that’s why I’m here,” Tian said.

Contributing reports from Jack Nelson, assistant Sports editor.

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Olivia Simons | Quad editor
Simons is the 2023-2024 Quad editor. She was previously the 2022-2023 managing editor, an assistant Sports editor on the baseball, women's tennis, men's tennis, swim and dive and rowing beats and a reporter on the baseball and women's tennis beats. She is also a fourth-year student from Oakland, California.
Simons is the 2023-2024 Quad editor. She was previously the 2022-2023 managing editor, an assistant Sports editor on the baseball, women's tennis, men's tennis, swim and dive and rowing beats and a reporter on the baseball and women's tennis beats. She is also a fourth-year student from Oakland, California.
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