Colorado tennis fights through its first taste of action

Lera Alexin (left) and Ema Bubalo (right) preparing for the Battle in the Bay Classic (Photo by CUBuffsTennis/X)

BERKELEY – Colorado Buffaloes tennis duo Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo represented the Buffs in the invite-only Battle of the Bay Classic. 

The pair met their match of talent from across the nation in singles and doubles play, both ending the four-day affair with a 5-5 record.

Day one of the tournament was packed full of action, starting with Alexin and Bubalo being forced into a tiebreaker against Washington State’s duo, Maxine Murphy and Eva Alvarez Sande. Colorado’s duo was finally able to take the reins of the back-and-forth action to win the tiebreaker 8-6.

Later, when singles play began, Bubalo had a tough draw, taking on fifth-seeded Imogen Haddad, representing the University of Southern California. Despite the intense match, Haddad won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Alexin was tasked with Pepperdine’s Liam Oved. In spite of forcing the first set to seven games and a hot streak late in the second, Alexin lost in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.

Alexin and Bubalo’s run in the doubles bracket came to a close the next day. Oklahoma State’s Lucia Peyre and Rose Marie Nijkamp proved to be too much for the Buffs to handle, beating the Buffs 8-3.

Despite their losses in singles play on day one, the two still had a chance to compete in the consolation bracket. Bubalo won her first set 6-4 but needed a tiebreaker to lock in the match win, while Alexin narrowly avoided playing a tiebreaker, winning her match 7-5, 6-3.

In the third day of play, Bubalo faced off against San Jose State’s Duru Durgu and dropped the first set 1-5. She won the tiebreaker in the second before finally losing 10-7 in the third set, ending her win streak. 

Alexin met against a familiar foe, Murphy of Washington State, but fell in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

In their final matches of the tournament, the Colorado pair had no trouble putting away their competition. Bubalo put together a match full of quick points in her 6-4, 6-4 win over Irene Riva of Sacramento State.

Alexin’s match didn’t take much longer as she took down Tara Mihaljevic of San Jose State in a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The whole team prepares to travel to Colorado Springs for the Air Force’s Bedford Cup tournament on Sept. 19.