The Stanford women’s tennis program will be well represented this weekend when the 2014 Bank of the West Classic gets underway at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, highlighted by recent grad Kristie Ahn appearing in the main draw.
The qualifying round begins on Saturday, which is free and open to the public, and main-draw competition starts Monday.
Stanford sophomores Caroline Doyle and Carol Zhao have earned wild-card spots in the qualifying draw and will play their matches inside the stadium. Doyle battles No. 1 seed Aleksandra Wozniak, the 2008 Bank of the West Classic champion, in the third match on court Saturday while Zhao follows in the final contest against No. 2 seed Katerina Siniakova.
A native of San Francisco, Doyle compiled team-best records in overall matches (34-6) and duals (20-2) as a rookie for the Cardinal and earned a final No. 46 national singles ranking. Doyle, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship, shared the team lead with five clinching points and notched a 4-1 record in three-set matches.
An All-American in singles after advancing to the round of 16 at the NCAA Single Championship, Zhao also enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign and was named the ITA Northwest Region Player To Watch. Zhao, who was tabbed an All-Pac-12 Second Team pick, was awarded a final No. 22 national singles ranking after finishing 30-7 overall and 19-2 in duals, playing mainly at the No. 3 spot.
Ahn will compete as a wild card in the main draw, squaring off against 2012 Bank of the West Classic runner-up Coco Vandeweghe with the date and time to be determined. An All-American in three of her four seasons on The Farm, Ahn concluded her career with a 97-17 overall record and was 57-8 in duals.
Named the 2014 ITA National Senior Player of the Year, Ahn provided the clinching point in Stanford’s 4-3 victory over Texas A&M to secure the 2013 NCAA championship. Ahn, who never lost back-to-back matches during her college career, made a successful return to the court in 2013 after missing all but three matches in 2012 due to injury and having her freshman year cut short in the postseason.
Stanford players enjoying recent success in the Bank of the West Classic include Nicole Gibbs, who reached the second round in each of the last two years and faced Serena Williams in 2012) and Mallory Burdette, who advanced to the second round in 2012.
Log on to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com for more information.
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics