May 27, 2011

Results

STANFORD, Calif. - Baylor junior Nina Secerbegovic continued her hot streak, earning a berth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship on Friday in Stanford, Calif.

Secerbegovic made quick work of Virginia's 27th-ranked Lindsay Hardenbergh to give her three consecutive straight-set wins in the individual singles event. Secerbegovic took the first set 6-2, and fought off some adjustments from Hardenbergh to win the second set 6-3.

"This is the second time I have actually made it to the quarterfinals, so I was really nervous because every time I want to get better and at least make it to semifinals this year," Secerbegovic said. "She [Hardenbergh] was pretty good today, she had almost the same game as I did, so at some points I had to adjust. It was really difficult, she came back in the second set and started making shots and I started missing a little bit. But I knew in my head that I needed to be solid and I'm really happy that I stayed calm."

The win makes Secerbegovic a quarterfinalist for the second straight season, joining Zuzana Zemenova as the only two to reach the quarterfinal round in program history. The 2005 NCAA Singles champ, Zemenova made it to at least the quarterfinal three times in her career.

With all four of the seeded players in Secerbegovic's quarter of the 64-player singles draw eliminated, she will take on Stanford's 43rd-ranked Stacey Tan on Saturday. The Cardinal sophomore earned a first-round victory by retirement against Clemson's No. 11 Josipa Bek, beat North Carolina State's Sanaa Bhambri in three sets in the second round, and added a straight-set win over Texas' No. 21 Aeriel Ellis.