After disappointing early round exits in singles play and the
pressure of heading into the season on a low note, UCLA’s top
duo of sophomore Daniela Bercek and freshman Riza Zalameda bore
down and took charge.
After losing to Stanford’s Theresa Logar and Whitney
Deason, respectively, Bercek and Zalameda bounced back and took the
doubles title on Sunday at the Freeman Memorial Tennis
Championships, hosted by University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
“Singles were disappointing; I knew my game wasn’t
there,” Zalameda said. “It was a close match, and I
definitely had chances, but I was just off that day.”
But partnering with Bercek, Zalameda rebounded in Flight I
doubles play after a slow start. In the semifinals against
Georgia’s Caroline Basu and Shadisha Robinson, the
Bruins’ top pair was down early 7-4, but was able to come
back and take the match 9-7.
“We definitely had a slow start,” Zalameda said.
“It just shows we have a lot of heart, because there were so
many chances where we could have just given it away easily, but we
hung in there, and by the time we knew it, we won five games in a
row.”
In the title match, the duo ousted Stanford’s Deason and
Lejla Hodzic 8-4.
“We wanted revenge,” Zalameda said. “We never
like losing to the Cardinal twice in a row.”
UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster believes the win will help
boost the duo’s confidence as the season commences.
“Winning a championship is always a great
achievement,” Sampras Webster said. “That was great for
them because they’ve had a lot of chances to win tournaments.
They’ve come really close, and this was their first title,
which is great going into the season.”
The rest of the Bruins were in Washington for the Pac-10 indoor
championships, a non team scoring event. Since Bercek and Zalameda
were in Las Vegas, the Bruins in Seattle played in higher flights
than usual against players they will likely not face in the regular
season.
“I knew it was going to be a tough tournament since they
were playing above their lineup,” Sampras Webster said.
“But it was also an opportunity to compete against good
players that they would normally not play. I think it was a good
experience for them.”
Despite the tough competition, the Bruins fared well, most
notably senior Anya Loncaric, who won the Flight III singles
consolation title against Kara Guzman of Stanford 6-4, 6-4.
The Bruins will begin dual match play this Wednesday against
Loyola Marymount at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.