Fresno State
ITA All-American Main Draw
Sainz, Winterhalter Reach National Final
10/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 8, 2005
FRESNO, Calif. - Seniors Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter continued their dominance in doubles play Saturday afternoon at the ITA All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif. The doubles partners upset No. 1 ranked Caroline Basu and Shadisha Robinson of Georgia 8-6 in the semifinals. The victory vaults the tandem into the first national doubles final ever in Fresno State history. The match will begin tomorrow at approximately 11 a.m. PT.
"This was a huge win," said head coach Simon Thibodeau. "Lucky and Kathrin were a little nervous maybe going into the match, but they definitely proved to be the better team."
Sainz and Winterhalter led at one point 7-4, and then finished off Georgia 8-6 for the win. The duo has now won six consecutive matches, dating back to the qualifying rounds. The Bulldog seniors are currently ranked 41st nationally, but have proven to be much stronger than the competition."
"Any time you can beat the No. 1 ranked team in the country, you know you have a good team," said Thibodeau of Sainz and Winterhalter. "They really played well, converting their opportunities into points and making few errors.
The Bulldogs have now beaten six teams ranked in the top 40, and three in the top 10. Tomorrow the tandem will face the doubles team from Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 2 in the ITA natioanl rankings.
Stay tuned to gobulldogs.com for the final results of the ITA All-American Doubles Championship.
