WACO, Texas - Klara Fabikova and Zsofi Susanyi recovered from a first-set loss to win in three sets in Sunday's NCAA doubles semifinal and advance to Monday's championship match at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center. Seeded Nos. 5-8 and ranked fifth, the Golden Bears defeated Florida's sixth-ranked and Nos. 5-8-seeded Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Susanyi, a senior, and Fabikova, a junior, will attempt to win Cal's sixth NCAA doubles title when they take on Alabama's top-seeded and top-ranked Maya Jansen and Erin Routliffe – the defending NCAA champions – on Monday after the NCAA singles final. With the singles final slated to start at 12 p.m. CT, the doubles final may start at roughly 2 p.m. CT. Weather in Waco – which has had plenty of rain disrupt the NCAA Championships – could also play a factor in the doubles championship's start time.
“It's tremendous,” said Cal head coach Amanda Augustus, who won two NCAA titles for the Bears as a player. “They had to work so hard to come back after being down almost every match. They showed their resolve and their belief in each other as doubles partners. We really felt they had potential to do this. Obviously they have a tough match tomorrow, but it's a big honor for Cal and our program to be competing on the last day of the season. We take pride in our doubles. We'll put our best effort forward tomorrow and hopefully be successful.”
Fabikova and Susanyi have lost the first set in three of their four NCAA doubles matches, including in the opening round of 32 and in the round of 16.
“I think we're kind of used to dropping that first set,” Susanyi said, “and I think we were able to come back because we were focusing on one point at a time. That's exactly what Zack [Warren, Cal's assistant coach] was telling us – just one point, one game and nothing else.”
“I know I was getting a little frustrated today,” Fabikova said, “and it just comes back to this being our last tournament together, so I just want to enjoy it and have fun on the court.”
“The first set was really tight,” Augustus added. “It was back and forth, and the games were close. It just took a little while to figure out how to break their serve. They lost the first set. But then in the second set, they got a break and that helped them to figure out what the strategy should be. In the third they won the first game but got down 4-1. They weren't playing badly; Florida just made good shots, and one of their players started serving better.
“Credit to Klara and Zsofi for working really hard and trusting their shots. When we got it to 4-3, the momentum started to swing in their direction. They picked up their game and got more aggressive to finish out the match.”
Monday's match will mark Fabikova and Susanyi's first appearance in an NCAA final, though it will also mark the second straight year in which a Bear has reached an NCAA individual championship, as Lynn Chi finished as the singles runner-up in 2014. Monday's match will also mark the end of Susanyi's college career.
“I honestly haven't thought of it because we're still in the mindset of just winning this match,” Susanyi said. “I think it's going to be the same thing – just focusing on one point at a time and not worrying about what has happened in the past.”
“I'm just excited to play and put in a fight,” Fabikova said. “I know it's going to be a good match for us.”
Cal's last appearance in the NCAA doubles championship match was in 2009, when Jana Juricova and Mari Andersson won the Bears' most recent doubles crown. Augustus and Amy Jensen won Cal's first two titles, in 1998 and 1999, Jensen and Amy Curran gave Cal a threepeat when they won the title in 2000, and Raquel Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano captured the championship in 2003.
Weather permitting, the NCAA will broadcast Monday's final at this link , and fans can still watch Baylor's live stream/live stats here. If rain forces the match indoors, there may be no video available.
NCAA Doubles Championship – Semifinal Round
May 24, 2015, in Waco, Texas
Hurd Tennis Center
[5-8] No. 5 Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. [5-8] No. 6 Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan (Florida) – 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
