April 28, 2018
Boise, Idaho ----- San Jose State University's Clara Mantaux overcame a one-set deficit to post a stunning 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2 tiebreaker) win over Boise State University's Nancy Menjivar giving the Spartans a 4-3 victory and sending the Spartans into the Mountain West Women's Tennis Championship semifinals.
Mantaux and Menjivar were playing the final match of the quarterfinal round contest at the Bose Tennis Center indoor facility. The two teams began the match playing at the Appleton Tennis Center outdoor courts, but were forced inside during singles action due to rain.
For the sophomore from France, the win was her first three-set victory of her college career after losing a first set. She also had to overcome a 5-6 deficit in the third set by holding serve to force a tiebreaker. Mantaux took a commanding 6-0 lead in the tiebreaker, dropped the next two points and won the decisive seventh point to send the Spartans into the April 28 semifinals against #2-seed Fresno State.
"She (Mantaux) won the match playing the last three games and the tiebreaker serving underhand," said San Jose State women's tennis head coach Chad Skorupka. "It was unbelievable.
"She gave it her all. Julianna (Bacelar, assistant coach) did a great job of coaching her on her court. Clara had opportunities to go in front, but couldn't take advantage. The (Boise State) girl came back and she (Mantaux) finally settled down and put the ball in play with the serve. She was being very consistent and maybe that girl (Menjivar) began getting a little nervous, too."
The win over #6-seed and tournament host Boise State was the third in a row for the #3-seed Spartans (13-8) after losing the opening three-match doubles point. Though the #1-doubles team of Sybille Gauvain and Savannah Sendar showed their All-Mountain West form with a 6-4 triumph over Bosu Dokic and Wiktoria Nosek, San Jose State could not pick up a doubles win in either at #2 or #3 to take the lead into singles action.
Sendar tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Nosek. Gauvain followed suit in the only other two-set singles match with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Dokic.
The remaining four singles matches went three sets and the player that won the first set ended up losing the match.
Freshman Laura Malsert playing at #5-singles gave San Jose State a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard with her 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Vanessa Timm. Neither #2-Tamara Culibrk nor #3-Miyo Kobayashi could win either their second or third sets leaving it up to Mantaux for the Spartans and Menjivar of Boise State.
San Jose State (13-8), the defending Mountain West champion, will face #2-seed Fresno State, Saturday, April 28, at 4:00 p.m. (MT).
Mountain West Women's Tennis Championship
Appleton & Bose Tennis Centers, Boise, Idaho
April 27, 2018
Quarterfinal round
San Jose State 4, Boise State 3
| Doubles |
| Sybille Gauvain & Savannah Sendar (SJSU) def. Bosu Dokic & Wiktoria Nosek (BSU), 6-4 |
| Wilhelmenia Flores & Lilian Poling (BSU) def. Miyo Kobayashi & Laura Malsert (SJSU), 6-4 |
| Vanessa Timm & Nancy Menjivar (BSU) def. Tamara Culibrk & Clara Mantaux (SJSU), 7-5 |
| Order of finish (1 ,2, 3) |
| Singles |
| Sybille Gauvain (SJSU) def. Bosu Dokic (BSU), 7-5, 6-3 |
| Wilhelmina Palmer (BSU) def. Tamara Culibrk (SJSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 |
| Lilian Poling (BSU) def. Miyo Kobayashi (SJSU), 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Savannah Sendar (SJSU) def. Wiktoria Nosek (BSU), 6-4, 6-1 |
| Laura Malsert (SJSU) def. Vanessa Timm (BSU), 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 |
| Clara Mantaux (SJSU) def. Nancy Menjivar (BSU), 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) |
| Order of finish (4, 1, 5, 3, 2, 6) |
| Team Records - San Jose State, 13-8; Boise State, 14-8 |