STANFORD, Calif. - Defending NCAA champion Stanford easily handled Idaho 4-0 on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Championships at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Making its 36th consecutive postseason appearance, the Cardinal (22-2) blanked the short-handed Vandals in match that took just one hour and 41 minutes to complete.
It was a familiar outcome for Stanford, seeded No. 7 in the postseason draw but ranked No. 6 in the country. Joining No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Ohio State as the only two-loss seeded teams in the draw, Stanford has won seven in a row and appears poised for another deep postseason run.
A pair of forfeits by Idaho (16-8) made the path slightly easier. Carrying only five available players, the Vandals started the match in an early hole due to forfeits at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
The Cardinal locked up the doubles point for a 1-0 lead, fueled by a 6-3 victory from Emily Arbuthnott and Taylor Davidson at No. 1.
Leading 2-0 in singles following Idaho's forfeit on court six, Caroline Lampl added a third point, racing through the first set 6-0 and up 2-0 in the second before Maria Tavares retired.
Emily Arbuthnott then provided her eighth clincher of the season, defeating Shion Watabe 6-2, 6-0.
Stanford will face TCU, a 4-0 winner over Rice, in the second round on Sunday at 1 p.m. A berth in next weekend's NCAA round of 16 in Athens, Georgia, is on the line.
Stanford is 143-18 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. In 2016, Stanford became the lowest-seeded team to win an NCAA title at No. 15, defeating Oklahoma State in a 4-3 thriller. Four years ago, Stanford won it all as a No. 12 seed – at the time the lowest-seeded team to accomplish the feat. In 2010, the Cardinal took home the crown as a No. 8 seed.
No. 6 Stanford 4, Idaho 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 39 Arbuthnott/Davidson (STAN) d. Badillos/Petrei (IDAHO) 6-3
2) No. 46 Doyle/Lord (STAN) led Brzozowska/Tavares (IDAHO) 5-2, abandoned
3) Stanford wins by forfeit
Order of Finish: 3, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 38 Caroline Doyle (STAN) led Marianna Petrei (IDAHO) 6-1, 5-2, abandoned
2) No. 28 Melissa Lord (STAN) led Jessica Brzozowska (IDAHO) 6-2, 3-3, abandoned
3) No. 54 Taylor Davidson (STAN) led Lucia Badillos (IDAHO) 6-2, 4-2, abandoned
4) No. 90 Caroline Lampl (STAN) d. Maria Tavares (IDAHO) 6-0, 2-0, ret.
5) Emily Arbuthnott (STAN) d. Shion Watabe (IDAHO) 6-2, 6-0
6) Stanford wins by forfeit
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 5
- - - - - - - - - - -
No. 27 TCU 4, No. 36 Rice 0
DOUBLES
1) No. 19 Bashota/Garrido-Rivas (TCU) d. No. 87 Hodge/Zhang (RICE) 6-4
2) Pereira/Kadzhaya (TCU) d. Ho/Niezgoda (RICE) 6-4
3) Durkin/Ip (RICE) led Arantekin/Wegner (TCU) 5-4, abandoned
Order of Finish: 1, 2
SINGLES
1) No. 61 Seda Arantekin (TCU) d. No. 84 Lindsey Hodge (RICE) 6-1, 7-5
2) Sofiko Kadzhaya (TCU) d. No. 120 Katherine Ip (RICE) 6-4, 6-3
3) Wendy Zhang (RICE) led Aleksandra Zenovka (TCU) 3-6, 7-5, abandoned
4) Donika Bashota (TCU) vs. Fernanda Astete (RICE) 6-4, 3-6, 2-2, abandoned
5) Savannah Durkin (RICE) led Olaya Garrido-Rivas (TCU) 0-6, 6-4, 5-3, abandoned
6) Caroline Wegner (TCU) d. Alison Ho (RICE) 7-6 (6), 6-1
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 6