Hardebeck, No. 14 Stanford women top No. 4 UCLA

Krista Hardebeck, now a freshman at Stanford, slugs a forehand in the first round
of girls doubles at last year's Australian Open in Melbourne. Photo by Paul Bauman

   How strong is the Stanford women's tennis team?
   Its top three players -- Nicole Gibbs, Kristie Ahn and Krista Hardebeck -- are ranked among the top 600 in the world, including professionals. Stacey Tan, the 2011 NCAA singles runner-up, plays No. 4 on the ladder.
   Don't be deceived by Stanford's relatively modest No. 14 national ranking. College rankings are notoriously unreliable. Besides, the Cardinal will rise after beating No. 4 UCLA 4-3 Friday in Los Angeles.
   Krista Hardebeck, playing near her home in Santa Ana, gave Stanford an insurmountable 4-1 lead with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over fellow freshman Kyle McPhillips. In girls singles at the Australian Open last year, Hardebeck reached the semifinals and McPhillips the third round. In girls doubles at Melbourne, McPhillips advanced to the quarterfinals and Hardebeck to the second round. 
    Gibbs, the defending NCAA singles and doubles champion, is ranked No. 189 in the world. Ahn is No. 569 and Hardebeck No. 348. Hardebeck, playing as an amateur, reached the semifinals of a $50,000 pro tournament last year at 17 years old and the quarterfinals of another at 15.
   Stanford (11-2 overall, 5-0 Pacific-12) set up a showdown at No. 6 USC (16-2, 5-0) today at noon for first place in the Conference. UCLA fell to 13-3 and 4-1.

COLLEGE RESULTS

Women

   No. 14 Stanford def. No. 4 UCLA 4-3 in Los Angeles. No. 1 singles: No. 3 Robin Anderson (UCLA) def. No. 20 Nicole Gibbs 6-4, 6-2. Team records: Stanford 11-2 overall, 5-0 Pac-12; UCLA 13-3, 4-1.
   No. 6 USC def. No. 13 Cal 6-1 in Los Angeles. No. 1 singles: No. 2 Sabrina Santamaria (USC) def. No. 6 Anett Schutting 6-3, 6-1. Team records: USC 16-2 overall, 5-0 Pac-12; Cal 10-5, 4-1.
   Pepperdine def. USF 7-0 in Malibu. No. 1 singles: No. 40 Lorraine Guillermo (P) def. No. 78 Andrea Ka 6-4, 7-6. Team records: 4-10 overall, 1-0 West Coast Conference; USF 10-6, 1-3.
   No. 73 San Jose State def. Seattle 7-0 in San Marcos, Texas. No. 1 singles: Sabastiani Leon Chao (SJS) def. Lindsey Newman 6-1, 6-2. Team records: San Jose State 11-4 overall, 3-0 Western Athletic Conference; Seattle 5-11, 0-4.

Men

   No. 2 USC def. No. 49 Stanford 6-1 at Stanford. No. 1 singles: No. 6 Emilio Gomez (USC) def. No. 54 John Morrissey 6-4, 6-1. Team records: USC 8-2 overall, 1-0 Pacific-12 Conference; Stanford 7-6, 0-1.
   No. 4 UCLA def. No. 15 Cal 5-2 in Berkeley. No. 1 singles: No. 44 Ben McLachlan (C) def. No. 14 Marcos Giron 6-2, 7-6 (5). Team records: UCLA 15-1 overall, 1-0 Pac-12; Cal 8-8, 0-1.
   No. 6 Pepperdine def. USF 6-1 in San Francisco. No. 1 singles: No. 10 Sebastian Fanselow (P) def. Thai Tu 6-1, 7-6 (5). Team records: Pepperdine 15-4 overall, 2-0 West Coast Conference; USF 7-4, 0-2.
   No. 67 Santa Clara def. Loyola Marymount 4-3 in Santa Clara. No. 1 singles: No. 63 John Lamble (SC) def. Othar Kordsachia 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. Notes: Santa Clara overcame a 3-1 deficit; Tom Pham won the clincher at No. 4 singles. Sacramento's Matt Kecki, a senior transfer from four-time defending NCAA champion USC, won at No. 3 singles and lost at No. 1 doubles for Santa Clara.