April 27, 2008

OJAI, CALIF. - In a busy day of championship action at the Pac-10 Women's Tennis Championships in Ojai, Calif., junior Amanda Fink came away with a doubles title and a runner-up finish in singles. Fink reached the Pac-10 Singles title match for the second time in her Trojan career, but fell 6-3, 6-4 to UCLA's Riza Zalameda. Later in the day, she teamed up with Gabriela Niculescu and powered to the Pac-10 Doubles Championship with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Cal's Cossou/Ilcinkas.

Fink/Niculescu become the second Trojan pair ever to claim the Pac-10 doubles crown. The last USC winners were Lupita Novelo/Ginny Purdy in 1987. In order to break back into the champions column, the Women of Troy had to get past the upset-minded Cal pair of Cossou/Ilcinkas. The No. 2 seeded Trojans had a relatively tight first set against the Bears, but pounded out a decisive second set to lock down the doubles title with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.

In her second appearance in the Pac-10 Singles championship match, second-seeded Fink had to get past a familiar foe in fourth-seeded Riza Zalameda of UCLA. The pair had clashed in USC's final regular-season dual match, and Fink captured a 5-7, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (10-8) win over Zalameda after the dual match had already been decided as a UCLA victory. Fink moved into the Pac-10 Championships with a three-match singles win streak and ballooned it to seven in a row entering today's singles title match with Zalameda. After four straight-set wins in the Pac-10 tourney, Fink came up against a tough opponent in Zalameda, who managed to take the Pac-10 crown with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Fink. Fink now turns to enter NCAA action with a 34-9 overall singles mark.

For full results, see below, or visit www.ojaitourney.org.

Pac-10 Singles Championship Matches
Leyla Entekhabi
First round: lost to (8) Tracy Lin (UCLA) - 6-1, 6-4

Sarah Fansler
First round: lost to Bojana Bobusic (CAL) - 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

(2) Amanda Fink
First round: def. Anna Powaska (ORE) - 6-2, 6-2
Round of 16: def. Danielle Steinberg (ARIZ) - 6-2, 6-2
Quarterfinals: def. Cristina Visico (CAL) - 6-0, 6-1
Semifinals: def. (7) Nadia Abdala (ASU) - 6-3, 6-2
Championship: lost to (4) Riza Zalameda (UCLA) - 6-3, 6-4

Gabriela Niculescu
First round: def. Aleksandra Cekic (WSU) - 6-0, 6-2
Round of 16: def. Susie Babos (CAL) - 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2
Quarterfinals: lost to Riza Zalameda (UCLA) - 7-5, 7-5

Maria Sanchez
First round: lost to (7) Nadia Abdala (ASU) - 7-5, 6-3

Pac-10 Singles Invitational Matches
Lyndsay Kinstler
First round: def. Aleksandra Krsljanin (WASH) - 7-5, 7-5
Round of 16: lost to Jennifer Yen (STAN) - 6-3, 5-7, 6-3

(6) Cristala Andrews
First round: def. Ashley Anderson (WASH) - 6-1, 6-3
Round of 16: def. Stephanie Wetmore (UCLA) - 6-2, 6-1
Quarterfinals: lost to Lauren Megale (ASU) - 3-6, 6-2, 7-5

Pac-10 Doubles Championship Matches
(2) Fink/Niculescu
Round of 16: def. Masschelein/Steinberg (ARIZ) - 8-2
Quarterfinals: def. Anonsen/Chan (WASH) - 8-2
Semifinals: def. (4) Babos/Kusano (CAL) - 8-4
Championship: def. Cossou/Ilcinkas (CAL) - 7-5, 6-1

Pac-10 Doubles Invitational Matches
(1) Andrews/Sanchez
Round of 16: def. Gherman/Gomez (WSU) - 8-1
Quarterfinals: def. MacFarlane/Olivos (ORE) - 8-3
Semifinals: lost to (4) McGoodwin/Remynse (UCLA) - 8-3

Fansler/Kinstler
Round of 16: lost to Krsljanin/Rainey (WASH) - w/o (inj)