News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
WACO – Nicole Khirin outlasted Stanford’s Connie Ma in a three-set roller coaster ride to win Thursday’s NCAA Division I Singles Championship third round match at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center.
With the 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory, Khirin became just the fourth player in program history to reach the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Singles Championship.
Both players entered the tournament ranked in the top 10, with Ma, the No. 6 seed, checking in at No. 4 and Khirin slotted at No. 9. The pair battled for 3-hours, 5-minutes.
The first set featured seven break points won, with Khirin owning the decisive 4-3 edge in the category.
The Aggie led the second set 5-4 but dropped eight of the next 10 points to fall behind. Khirin fought to 40-all and won the deuce point, knotting the set at 6-6. In the tiebreaker, she held advantages of 4-2 and 6-4, but Ma won the last four points to force a third set.
In a fatigued third set, Khirin broke Ma’s serve five times, including the clinching game.
No. 1 seed Mary Stoiana had her tournament run come to an end Thursday with a 6-3, 6-0 loss to No. 74 Elaine Chervinsky of Virginia.
The first two Aggies to reach the quarterfinals were Kim Labuschagne in 1987 and Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar in 2012. The Maroon & White doubled the number in the last two seasons with Stoiana advancing to the semifinals in spring 2024.
Khirin faces the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia Friday at 10 a.m.
Thursday’s Round of 16 Results
No. 74 Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) def. No. 1 Mary Stoiana (A&M) – 6-3, 6-0
No. 9 Nicole Khirin (A&M) def. No. 4 Connie Ma (Stan) – 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-3
Friday’s Quarterfinal Match
No. 9 Nicole Khirin (A&M) vs. No. 2 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) – 10 a.m.
STATS & STREAMING
Fans can follow the matches through the live stats or watch the matches through the live stream.