ATHENS, Ga. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga tennis player Anastasia Zhukova was in position to pull off a first-round upset at the NCAA Tennis Championships Wednesday, but fourth seeded Lindsey Nelson of the University of Southern California stormed to a 6-1 third set to advance to the Round of 32 with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory.
Nelson, the Pac 10 Conference Player of the Year, led 5-0 in the deciding set before allowing Zhukova to win on her serve and make it 5-1. Serving for the match, Nelson won four straight points for the victory.
“I tried a lot of little things to get it going,” Zhukova said. “I tried a couple of things to get a couple of games and got in a nice groove in the second set. She was much more aggressive in the third set and made fewer mistakes.”
Down a set and 1-0 in the second set, Zhukova claimed five consecutive games to go up 5-1 then took the momentum to the third set with a 6-3 win. During her second-set run, Zhukova went up 2-1 by winning four straight points on her serve, broke Nelson on the next serve, took control 4-1 on an ace in the next turn and broke Nelson again for the 5-1 advantage.
Late in the second set, Nelson took a restroom break. Zhukova kept loose by jumping rope and doing agility drills on the court. The match, played on Court No. 3 at the Henry Field Courts at the Dan MaGill Tennis Complex, lasted 1:55.
“Nelson did not feel confident to hit winners in the second set,” UTC Head Coach Tom Lowry said. “Anastasia was able to get balls up high on her. I thought Nelson got tired and started looking toward the third set and a new set of balls. She came with a different game in the third set.
“Anastasia had trouble in the third set working into the point. Nelson obviously played like a No. 4 seed and one of the top 10 players in the nation. I told Anastasia to expect her to turn it on. She had a chance. Nelson played a totally different game when she was ahead (in the third set).”
Zhukova was the first UTC player in the program’s Division I history to compete in the NCAAs. The loss snapped Zhukova’s 11-match win streak, and the senior from Moscow, Russia, ends her career with a 72-10 singles record.
“It was great to play my final match here,” she said. “It was a tough match, and this will be a difficult tournament to win.”
Lowry was proud of Zhukova’s effort and career accomplishments during her two years at UTC.
“She belongs here,” he said. “Win or lose, it was a matter of finishing her career on this stage. I’m so glad she got to play on the Henry Field Courts. It’s like the Stadium Court at Wimbledon.”