North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships
Bhambri Falls in Three Sets at NCAAs
5/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 26, 2011
PALO ALTO, CALIF. - 28th-ranked Sanaa Bhambri suffered a three-set loss to Stacey Tan of Stanford Thursday in the round of 32 at the NCAA Singles Championship.
Bhambri took the first set, but ultimately fell 7-5, 3-6, 1-6 to the 43rd-ranked Tan.
"Sanaa really started off well, moving her feet, getting around the court well. It was actually a much improved start over yesterday," said NC State head coach Hans Olsen. "She served well and played smart, but at this point in the tournament the competition is extremely strong, and you can end up on the losing end even if you're playing your best. Overall, she did a great job representing herself and NC State, and we're proud that she was able to make some history."
The senior from New Dehli broke the first serve of the match to take a 4-2 lead in the first set. At 5-2, Tan won three consecutive games to even the score. Bhambri battled to wins in the next two games to take a one set lead.
Tan opened up a 4-1 lead in the second set, but Bhambri broke the next serve to cut her deficit to 4-2. Trailing 40-15 in the next game, Bhambri won four straight points to pull to a 4-3 disadvantage, but Tan grabbed the next two games to take the set.
The deciding set opened with both players trading breaks to run the score to 1-1 before Tan hit her stride to win the next five games and clinch the match.
Despite the loss, Bhambri firmly established her place in the NC State record books by advancing to the second round with her win late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning on the east coast. Bhambri represents the first NC State women’s tennis player in program history to win a match at the NCAA Championship.
After a short break, Bhambri returns to the court with teammate Sandhya Nagaraj for the opening round of the NCAA Doubles Championship. The 17th-ranked tandem looks to become the first NC State team to advance at the NCAA Championship against Washington’s Denise Dy and Venise Chan.
Nagaraj and Bhambri’s first round tilt begins at 9:30 ET and will be streamed live. Links for live video and scoring are available on the women’s tennis schedule page at GoPack.com.
