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Alisha Chulani reached the NCAA singles quarterfinals after winnin gthe team national title
Alisha Chulani reached the NCAA singles quarterfinals after winnin gthe team national title
Posted: May 20, 2023

Championship Season for CMS Women's Tennis Concludes as Chulani Falls in Singles Quarterfinals

ORLANDO, Fla. - After contributing to the team national championship this week and advancing to the singles quarterfinals with a grueling three-set win on Friday, Alisha Chulani fell to second-seeded Angie Zhou of Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday (6-1, 6-1) to conclude the 2022-23 season for the Athenas.

Chulani won a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 battle yesterday in the Round of 16 in the hot Orlando sun in the afternoon, then played a doubles match afterward, while Zhou was able to earn more rest by cruising to a 6-0, 6-1 win in her match. Chulani started slow on Saturday trying to get loose again, falling into a 5-0 hole before battling for her first game win. Zhou responded immediately, and took the first set 6-1. 

In the second set, Chulani dug down to try to make a match of it, breaking back to tie the score 1-1. She almost did it again, getting to a deuce point trailing 2-1, and gaining the advantage the point. A short ball from Zhou set up for a winner chance, but the ball hit off the tape and fell backwards, and Zhou was able to finish off the 6-1, 6-1 win to move on to tomorrow's semifinal round. 

Chulani ended up earning All-America honors in singles for her efforts, after previously earning doubles All-America honors in 2022. Audrey Yoon did as well, following her opening round win over Ida Krause of NYU (7-5, 7-6), while Katherine Wurster earned All-America in the fall by winning the ITA West Regional title (in a three-setter over Zhou).

Chulani played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for CMS during its national championship run earlier this week, which included a 5-4 win over Amherst in the quarterfinals and a 5-3 win over Chicago in the championship match. To help the Athenas get there, she also had a big three-set comeback win over Pomona-Pitzer in the regional finals (playing at No. 2 against Georgia Ryan). 

The national title was the third in the last four seasons that CMS has competed (2018, 2022, 2023), with a runner-up finish included as well in 2019, before a two-year hiatus for the pandemic. The Athenas had no seniors on their nine-player roster, as they'll try to keep the run of championships going in 2024, before serving as the NCAA Championships host in 2025.