In her first match as a member of the Long Beach State women’s tennis team, all Klaudia Malenovska did was take down the nation’s 32nd-ranked player on Friday.
The sophomore, who missed last season due to an NCAA suspension, made easy work of Arizona State’s Micaela Hein, 6-2, 6-3, on LBSU’s first day at the Cal NIKE Invitational in Berkeley.
Hein was the No. 2 seed in the gold flight at the tournament.
Malenovska also beat Nevada’s Emma Verbenne, 7-5, 6-1, later in the day to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals where she will meet Saint Mary’s Claire Soper.
Several other 49ers had positive outcomes on Friday as all seven players qualified for the round of 16 in their various flights.
Jaklin Alawi took care of Santa Clara’s Kacie Wagner, 6-2, 6-2, before losing to the gold flight’s No. 3 seed Kelcy McKenna (ASU), 6-2, 6-3. Teammate Anais Dallara also fell in the round of 16 to seventh-seeded Alex Poorta from Saint Mary’s, 6-3, 6-1.
The LBSU junior defeated USC’s Lyndsay Kinstler, 6-2, 6-3, to make it to the gold flight’s round of 16.
Top-seeded Deborah Armstrong was also able to make it to Saturday after defeating Santa Clara’s Maggie McGeorge (6-2, 6-4) and Arizona’s Susan McRann (6-2, 6-1) in the blue flight. Armstrong is slated to play Jenny Jullien of Saint Mary’s at 1:45 p.m. in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
LBSU’s Julie Luzar, Sarah Cantlay and Anna Jeczmionka all picked up wins in their initial matches before falling in the round of 16 in the tournament’s blue flight.
The new doubles tandem of Malenovska and Alawi fell in its first match, 8-4, to ASU’s Hein/McKenna team in the gold flight.
Dallara and Armstrong teamed up for a 9-8 victory over the Gaels’ pairing of Diana Bukajeva and Molly Aloia in the blue doubles. The 49ers’ duo of Cantlay and Luzar defeated Nevada’s Aodhnait Lombard and Michelle Okremchk, 8-5, also in blue doubles on Friday.
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