ATHENS, Ga. – California rolled to two victories on Thursday in the NCAA individual championships, with Karla Popovic winning in the singles round of 32 and the pair of Maya Jansen and Maegan Manasse winning in the doubles round of 32 at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
 
"It was a good day for the Bears today," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "We settled in well. Once you get through the first day, you can really build into the tournament. We came out ready to go both in singles and doubles. We didn't have any rain delays today and were able to play tennis outdoors, which was nice."
 
Popovic, ranked 10th and seeded 9-16, knocked off South Carolina's 49th-ranked Ingrid Gamarra Martins, 6-0, 6-3, Thursday morning. It was the Cal junior's second win over Martins this season; Popovic also beat her in November at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in November, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
 
On Friday, Popovic will take on North Carolina's 18th-ranked Sara Daavettila at 11:30 a.m. ET. Popovic also played the Tar Heel earlier in the season. But their match in the ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship was abandoned with Daavettila leading, 5-7, 6-3, 5-2, when UNC clinched its quarterfinal win over Cal.
 
The 34th-ranked Manasse and Jansen opened the NCAA Doubles Championship Thursday afternoon, upsetting Missouri's 10th-ranked Amina Ismail and Bea Machado Santos, 6-2, 6-2.
 
"I was glad to get back out there today," said Manasse, who fell in NCAA singles Wednesday. "I had a lot of fun out there, and we're excited to play tomorrow."
 
Jansen and Manasse will face the winner of the Thursday match between Pepperdine's Mayar Sherif Ahmed/Christine Maddox and N.C. State's Martina Frantova/Anna Rogers on Friday at 3 p.m. ET in doubles.
 
NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Individual Championships
May 25, 2017, in Athens, Ga.
Dan Magill Tennis Complex
 
Singles Round of 32
[9-16] No. 10 Karla Popovic (Cal) def. No. 49 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (South Carolina), 6-0, 6-3
 
Doubles Round of 32
No. 34 Maya Jansen/Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. No. 10 Amina Ismail/Bea Machado Santos (Missouri), 6-2, 6-2