The University of Arizona women’s tennis team came up short at home against No. 24 Baylor University on Friday, April 4, in Tucson at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, falling 4-0 to the Bears.

The Wildcats (17-8, 7-4 in Big 12) struggled to find early momentum as Danielle Tuhten, a former Baylor Bear and Josie Usereau fell 6-1 to the No. 43-ranked doubles duo of Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea. This defeat follows Tuhten and Usereau beating ASU in their doubles match the weekend prior, 7-5.

In the only other finished match, Wildcats Martyna Ostrzygalo and Zoya Chulak attempted to hang in but ultimately fell to Sierra Berry and Na Dong on court 2, 6-4. This win for Baylor clinched the doubles win, as the third match was left unfinished between senior Wildcats Midori Castillo-Meza and Belen Nevenhoven and Bears Kennedy Gibbs and Zuzanna Kubacha.

Moving on to singles play, Arizona faced an uphill battle as Baylor quickly secured three straight-set victories to seal the match. Nanaka Sato outlasted Tuhten 6-3, 6-4, followed by Dong defeating Tanvi Narendran 6-4, 6-1. Delivering the decisive fourth victory was Kubacha who defeated Ostrzygalo 6-3, 6-3.

With the overall result determined, the remaining singles matches were left unfinished, though Arizona showed resilience. No. 50 Usereau had pushed Kostenko to a third set, and Castillo-Meza was battling Tiglea in a competitive second set.

Arizona’s 4-0 loss to Baylor marks the Wildcats’ first-ever defeat against the Bears in program history. Before this matchup, Arizona held a 2-0 record, with dominant wins in 1989 and 1994.

This loss now makes the Wildcats’ home record 13-2, breaking their eight game win streak at home. Despite the setback, Arizona has been dominant on their home courts this season, showcasing their strength and resilience in previous matchups. The Wildcats will look to bounce back and defend their home court as they approach the final stretch of the season.

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