May 23, 2008
TULSA, Okla. -
Baylor women's tennis players Lenka Broosova and Zuzana Zemenova won their singles matches, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2008 NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championships on Friday afternoon at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
This marks the first time in Baylor history, men's or women's, that the Bears have had two singles players reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
After a one-hour rain delay, Zemenova defeated 16th-ranked and 9-16 seeded Melanie Gloria of Fresno State in three sets 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Zemenova advances to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in her career. As a freshman, Zemenova became the first unranked player in NCAA history to win the NCAA Singles title, and she advanced the NCAA Semifinals last season.
"ZZ played a tough opponent today," said head coach Joey Scrivano. "She had beaten her three times before, but especially the last two had been really tough. It's so hard to beat a player four times in a row. It's an impressive win. I'm especially pleased of the way she came out and competed and was able to find a way to win."
Zemenova, who was named an ITA All-American for the third-straight year for reaching the Round of 16, has earned more All-America honors as a singles player than any other player in Big 12 history. She improves her overall record this season to 37-5, including a 22-4 mark against nationally ranked opponents. She will face fifth-ranked and fourth-seeded Maria Mosolova of Northwestern on Saturday. Earlier this season, Mosolova defeated Zemenova 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in Waco.
Broosova downed No. 24 Reka Zsilinszka of Duke 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 to record her Baylor record 52nd win of the season. After losing the second set, Broosova trailed in the third set 3-0 before pulling back to a 4-2 score. But in the seventh game, Zsilinszka held a 30-0 lead before Broosova rallied to break serve ride the momentum to the third-set victory.
"This was one of the best collegiate tennis matches I have seen in a long time," said Scrivano. "Lenka lost to Zsilinszka earlier this season, and it was one of her few losses this season. She was down big in the third set and had to come back swinging. She came out guns blazing and went for shots and was able to pull out the third set. I'm proud because she was able to adjust her game plan and win the match."
Broosova avenged a loss to Zsilinszka last fall in consolation play at the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. She will face seventh-ranked Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech, a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Tracy Lin of UCLA on Friday.
The Lady Bears return to action on Saturday afternoon as Broosova begins play at 12 noon, while Zemenova's match is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Live scoring and video can be found at www.TulsaHurricane.com.
FRIDAY RESULTS
#25 Zuzana Zemenova (BU) def. #16 Melanie Gloria (FSU) - 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
#18 Lenka Broosova (BU) def. #24 Reka Zsilinszka (DU) - 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
