Stephen Woo/klcphotos
Doubles champions Jessica Alsola (left) and Katja Wiersholm (right) pose with head coach Amanda Augustus after Tuesday’s victory.
STANFORD, Calif. – Jessica Aussila and Katja Wiersholm won the doubles title at the ITA Northwestern Regional Championships on Tuesday at the Taube Family Tennis Center. The California women’s tennis duo, ranked second in the tournament, beat Portland’s seventh seeds Sally Pethybridge and Iva Zelic 6-2, 6-3.
Both Golden Bears also walked away from home with a doubles berth at the ITA Fall Nationals Nov. 2-6 in San Diego due to their semifinal win on Monday.
“I’m proud of them,” Cal head coach said amanda august said. “They did a really good job today and came out with a goal. It’s a big deal to get their first collegiate doubles title together. They had a lot of good wins between the ITA All-American Championships and this tournament. I’m excited to see them compete in San Diego and try to win another one.”
“It’s so exciting to win, especially at my first regional championships,” said Wiersholm, who joined the Cal program last spring. “I missed the 2021 fall season so enjoyed being there this week.”
Said Alsola, “It’s really great to win with Katja. We complement each other very well.”
Earlier in October, Wiersholm and Alsola reached the consolation doubles semifinals at the All-American Tournament in Cary, North Carolina, where Alsola also won the consolation singles title.
“Getting those extra appearances in the All-American was very beneficial to us,” Wiersholm said. “We got into a rhythm before the regionals.”
“We had some good games against All-American-ranked doubles players, and that helped us understand our game for regionals,” Alsola said.
It was the second straight year Alsola reached the doubles semi-finals at ITA Regionals, as the runner-up teamed up with Erin Richardson to reach the semi-finals in 2021. Alsola also reached the regional singles semi-finals last year.
Several Bears have competed in ITA Regionals this year, with three Cal doubles teams reaching the doubles semifinals and three Bears (Alsola, Wiersholm and Hannah Viller Moeller) qualify for the quarter-finals in singles. Richardson and Makenna Thiel picked up impressive doubles wins, with the unseeded pair beating Stanford’s number one and 12th seeded Angelica Blake and Connie Ma in the Round of 16 and defeating Washington’s eighth seed Sarah-Maude Fortin/Astrid Olsen , in the quarter-finals.
“We had great results in singles and doubles,” said Augustus. “And we will potentially have a few more Bears for the fall nationals. We still have a lot of good tennis to play to finish the fall. I’m happy with the number of games everyone is getting and, with the spring just around the corner, we keep improving. It was a very good tournament overall for the team. Every time we can win a tournament, it’s a very good thing for the team.”
ITA Northwest Regional Championships
October 18, 2022, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Center
Doubles Main Draw Final
[2] Jessica Aussila/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. [7] Sally Pethybridge/Iva Zelic (Portland), 6-2, 6-3