ORLANDO, Fla. – California women's tennis concluded a strong season at the NCAA Championships on Tuesday at the USTA National Campus, with Julia Rosenqvist battling a talented opponent in three sets before falling in singles and the pair of Rosenqvist and Hana Mraz likewise pushing a highly ranked opponent to the limit before losing in doubles.
 
Rosenqvist, a sophomore ranked 41st, took on the 13th-ranked and Nos. 9-16-seeded Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas in the NCAA Singles Championship round of 32. After losing the first set, Rosenqvist fought back to take the second, but in the end the Jayhawk prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to reach  Wednesday's round of 16.
 
Later Tuesday afternoon, Rosenqvist and Mraz – ranked 20th – took on N.C. State's seventh-ranked and Nos. 5-8-seeded Anna Rogers and Alana Smith in the NCAA Doubles Championship. The Bears edged the Wolfpack duo in the first set, but the latter won the second to force a deciding 10-point tiebreaker. Smith and Rogers wound up winning the match, 6-7(4), 6-3, 1-0(6), to advance.
 
"This was probably the best doubles match Julia and Hana have played in quite a while," Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. "They competed hard. We really pushed that team to the very end. In this format, it comes down to that 10-point breaker, and really, just a couple points our way could have changed the outcome. That N.C. State team just played a little harder than we did. It was a high-quality match, with aggressive play at the net by both teams. I was proud by how we fought, especially since Julia had a long singles match earlier in the day. They did a great job. We would like to still be playing in the tournament. But that was a good showing against one of the top teams in the country.
 
"In singles, Julia's opponent today was different than yesterday's opponent. Julia had an excellent gameplan and executed it well. I was pleased to see the growth in Julia's game from where it was a year ago at this time. You've got to get comfortable in this national environment, and I think she has. She made really good progress this year. Just a few points in that third set made the difference. Julia upped her level and added additional weapons to her game. She's really excited to continue competing and working on her game this summer, after having this experience and the season she had in her second year. She's only really been at Cal a year and half. I think Julia will be one of the top returning players nationally. She's ready to make some big inroads in the national events in the fall."
 
Tuesday's results ended a successful 2018-19 season for a Cal squad that compiled a 13-9 record, made a run to the NCAA team tournament round of 32, saw two players – including senior Olivia Hauger – compete in NCAA singles and have one pair compete in NCAA doubles.
 
NCAA Individual Championships
May 21, 2019, in Orlando, Fla.
USTA National Campus
 
Singles Round of 32
[9-16] No. 13 Anastasia Rychagova (Kansas) def. No. 41 Julia Rosenqvist (Cal), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
 
Doubles Round of 32
[5-8] No. 7 Anna Rogers/Alana Smith (N.C. State) def. No. 20 Hana Mraz/Julia Rosenqvist (Cal), 6-7(4), 6-3, 1-0(6)