Courtesy of Boise State Athletics –

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Boise State women’s tennis sophomore Zdena Safarova claimed her second consecutive singles title, capturing the ITA Mountain Region Championship, Tuesday afternoon.

Safarova, the first Bronco to win a regional championship since 2009, has qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships in November with the victory. She is the program’s first qualifier in over a decade, and just the fifth all-time.

In her path to the title, Safarova won six straight matches against opponents from six different universities. She finished her first two matches in two sets, and grinded out a three-set win over Kendall Kovick (BYU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. She then powered through her quarterfinal match and semifinal match in straight sets, ultimately defeating Denver’s Andrea Beltran 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 for the championship.

Boise State made a strong start in the four-day event, with Maya Dutta, Paula Schaefer and Bhakti Shah advancing from the qualifying rounds into the main draw. Dutta grabbed a win in the round of 64 before falling in her next match to Beltran, 6-3, 6-2.

The Broncos delivered a solid performance in the doubles main draw, finishing 6-3 across their three pairings. Shah and Scahefer notched wins against teams from New Mexico, Utah State and the No. 8 ranked duo of Aya El Sayed and Pia Rebec (Colorado), before ultimately losing in the quarterfinals to Cindy Hu and Coco Zhao (UNLV). Dutta and Safarova added three more wins to their season total, advancing to the semifinals, where they fell short to Colorado’s Andrea Beltran and Marley Lambert 6-4, 6-4.

Quotables:

  • “What an incredible accomplishment for Zdena to follow up her Mountain West Fall Qualifiers title with the ITA Mountain Regional title as well,” said head coach Beck Roghaar. “This is one of the biggest events in college tennis, and to finish the job the way she did after earning qualification to the NCAA singles tournament yesterday speaks to her champion’s mindset and desire to be the best. We’re looking forward to the NCAA Championships.”
  • “This week was great for the program with lots of great performances and a top-10 ranked doubles win for Bhakti and Paula,” said Roghaar. “I’m also really grateful to our assistant coaches and all they’ve been pouring in on the road and at home. They’re doing a phenomenal job, and we can’t wait to get back to work this week to keep getting better.”

Notables:

  • Zdena Safarova is the first Boise State player to be crowned ITA Mountain Region Champion since 2009.
  • Boise State will have a representative at theNCAA Championships for the first time since 2010.
  • Safarova remains undefeated in singles this season, boasting an impressive 14-0 record.
  • Throughout her six matches played in the tournament, Safarova only conceded two sets.
  • Freshman Maya Dutta and Safarova now hold a doubles record of 9-4.
  • Dutta is 7-2 in singles this year.
  • Bhakti Shah and Paula Scahefer went 3-1 and defeated the eighth-ranked doubles team in the country in their debut as a doubles team.

What’s Next

  • Boise State will compete in the Duck Invitational, Nov. 1-3, in Eugene, Oregon.

Full Results

Qualifying Singles

R64: Maya Dutta (BOI) def. Maria Matsoukatidi (UNM) 6-0, 6-1.

R64: Ariadna Briones-Ginesta (BOI) def. Gretsch Willow (COLO) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

R64: Paula Schaefer (BOI) def. Selin Sepken (IDA) 6-4, 6-1.

R32: Maya Dutta (BOI) def. Mariya Dobreva (CSU) 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3.

R32: Bhakti Shah (BOI) def. Piper Freeman (MONT) 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.

R32: Paula Schaefer (BOI) def. Li Yangpingan (WEB) 6-1, 6-2.

R32: Zuzanna Szczepanska (UTEP) def. Ariadna Briones-Ginesta (BOI) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Consolation

Masa Viriant (BOI) def. Elen Jantacova (NAU) walkover.

Ariadna Briones-Ginesta (BOI) def. Jessica Hill (WEBER) 4-6, 6-2 [10-7]

Masa Viriant (BOI) def. Li Yang Ping An (WEBER) 6-7(4), 6-3 [10-5]

Masa Viriant (BOI) def. Kavya Khirwar (MSU) 6-4, 7-6(5)

Ariadna Briones-Ginesta (BOI) def. Elena Trencheva (WYO) walkover.

Main Draw Singles

R64: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Sarah Weekley (CSU) 6-2, 6-2.

R64: Maya Dutta (BOI) def. Violetta Borodina (WYO) walkover.

R64: Emma Kamper (UTAH) def. Paula Schaefer (BOI) 6-0, 6-0.

R32: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Whitney Moon (UNM) 6-4, 6-1.

R32: Andrea Beltran (DEN) def. Maya Dutta (BOI) 6-3, 6-2.

R16: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Kendall Kovick (BYU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

QF: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Cindy Hu (UNLV) 6-2, 6-3.

SF: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Mila Stanojevic (COLO) 6-3, 6-2.

F: Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Andrea Beltran (DEN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Consolation

Paula Schaefer (BOI) def. Nikol Mircheva (UNLV) 6-1, 6-1.

Paula Schaefer (BOI) def. Alexis Odom (AFA) walkover.

Main Draw Doubles

R64: Paula Schaefer / Bhakti Shah (BOI) def. Allison Romero / Sofia Taborga (UNM) 8-5.

R64: Hanna Koprowska / Naomi Schraeder (IDA) def. Ariadna Briones-Ginesta / Masa Viriant (BOI) 8-3.

R32: Paula Schaefer / Bhakti Shah (BOI) def. Olivia Halvorsen / Indya Nespor (USU) 8-2.

R32: Maya Dutta / Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Sue Yan Tan / Bitsy Tullis (BYU) 8-3.

R16: Paula Schaefer / Bhakti Shah (BOI) def. Aya El Sayed / Pia Rebec (COLO) 8-7(5).

R16: Maya Dutta / Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Rebekkah Gaines / Maria Sodre (UNM) 8-4.

QF: Cindy Hu / Coco Zhao (UNLV) def. Paula Schaefer / Bhakti Shah (BOI) 6-3, 6-4.

QF: Maya Dutta / Zdena Safarova (BOI) def. Marlene Foerster / Petra Janigova (NEV) 8-5.

SF: Andrea Beltran / Marley Lambert (COLO) def. Maya Dutta / Zdena Safarova 6-4, 6-4.

–BroncoSports.com–