Ever since Davina Mendiburu arrived in Eugene four years ago, she has been one of the Ducks’ most consistent players in the top half of the lineup.
But for the first time in her career, Mendiburu was finally recognized nationally when she entered the rankings last week as the No. 81 singles player.
“It feels good, but at the same time, it’s not such a big surprise because I think I deserve it,” Mendiburu, 22, said. “I’ve been working hard, and I’ve been beating very good players. It’s
really exciting, but I want to show everybody that I deserve it, and by doing that I need to win more matches.”
The Ducks now have three players ranked in the nation’s top 100. Oregon head coach Nils Schyllander said he attributes the team’s success this season to that fact.
“When you win a lot and when you pick up good wins, you’re going to get ranked,” Schyllander said.
On Sunday, the No. 24 Ducks (14-7 overall,
2-5 Pacific-10 Conference) snapped a six-match losing streak when they defeated San Diego, 5-2, during a southern California road trip. Two days earlier, Oregon lost a close 4-3 match to Long Beach State.
“We bounced back well after a disappointing loss Friday,” Schyllander said. “This team was not going to be beaten (Sunday).”
In Sunday’s victory, Mendiburu continued her hot play as she won her career-best and team-high 21st match of the season. She has won six of her last eight matches. The Menton, France, native defeated San Diego’s Tara Livesay in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
Oregon’s Dominika Dieskova notched a victory at the No. 2 position after defeating Lauren Kazarian, 6-3, 7-5. The 20-year-old Dieskova improved her record to 19-12 overall. Her 19 victories are just one shy of her career-high, which she set last season.
However, the Ducks’ third-ranked player, Daria Panova, fell at the No. 1 position, losing to San Diego’s Emma Murphy in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. Panova is currently ranked 49th in the nation.
Oregon closes out the regular
season Sunday when the Ducks travel to Pullman, Wash., to battle Washington State in the final Pac-10 match of the season.
The Oregon men’s tennis team snapped its 11-match losing streak after defeating Arizona, 5-2, on
Saturday at the Student Tennis Center. It was the Ducks’ first victory in nearly six weeks.
The Ducks (8-14, 1-5) took the doubles point and won four of six singles matches to capture the
victory. Oregon earned the doubles point for the first time since playing Texas Tech on Feb. 26.
Senior Sven Swinnen improved his singles record to 23-6 overall after defeating Arizona’s Roger Matalonga, 6-2, 6-2. Swinnen is the
No. 14 singles player in the nation.
Thomas Bieri clinched the match for the Ducks when he defeated Daniel Andrus, 6-3, 6-2.
The women are now 2-8 all-time against the Wildcats. Oregon closes out its season Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when rival Washington visits Eugene.