BERKELEY, Calif. — Freshman Irene Riva capped off a perfect 5-0 weekend in Berkeley, Calif., winning her main draw singles flight at the 2023 California Fall Invitational hosted by the Golden Bears.
Riva, a native of Parma, Italy, in her first collegiate season with the Hornets, breezed through her bracket, winning four of her five matches in straight sets before downing Gonzaga's Ella Nielsen, 6-2, 6-4, in the championship match. Along the way she posted wins over Santa Clara's Anna Semler (6-0, 6-1), Nevada's Kennedy Robinson (6-4, 7-5), California's Cami Brown (6-4, 6-4), and Long Beach State's Hana Becirovic Novak (4-6, 6-4, 6-4).
Senior Mayya Gorbunova opened with a win over Nevada's Amahee Charrier, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, in the tournament's top singles flight before falling to Pacific's Tomi Main, while senior Best Lee also won her opener over Pacific's Zara Fung, 6-0, 6-3, before falling in three sets to UC Davis' Madeleine Page.
In doubles, Lee and teammate Weronika Ejsmont opened with an 8-3 win over Fresno State's Gianna Mastro and Hannah Pieper in the round of 16, eventually falling to a duo from Saint Mary's in the quarterfinals, while Grace McSkimming advanced all the way to the semifinals of her doubles draw alongside Utah's Isabella Pitchford before falling to a Nevada pair.
Sacramento State has a couple weeks to prepare for its next fall event, prepping for the ITA Northwest Regionals hosted by Stanford on Oct. 12-15. The Hornets then close out the fall by participating in the Saint Mary's Fall Invitational on Oct. 27-29.
CAL FALL INVITATIONAL - DOUBLES
Blue Draw - Main
R16 - Erin Richardson / Katerina Filip (USF) def. Mayya Gorbunova / Elena Mercioiu (SAC), 8-4
Gold Draw - Main
R16 - Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC) def. Gianna Mastro / Hannah Pieper (FS), 8-3
QF - Juliette Daries / Tian Yu Dong (SMC) def. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC), 8-5
White Draw - Main
R16 - Sofia Daryaie / Stefanie Silva (SMC) def. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC), 8-3
Grey Draw - Main
R16 - Grace McSkimming (SAC) / Isabella Pitchford (UTAH), First Round Bye
QF - Grace McSkimming (SAC) / Isabella Pitchford (UTAH) def. Lia Espinal / Caroline Wernli (GONZ), 8-2
SF - Anastasia Luneva / Wiem Boubaker (NEV) def. Grace McSkimming (SAC) / Isabella Pitchford (UTAH), 8-3
Additional Matches
Mayya Gorbunova / Elena Mercioiu (SAC) def. Charlotte Gisclon / Carolina Piferi (FS), 8-7 (7-4)
Valencia Xu / Eleana Yu (STAN) def. Mayya Gorbunova / Elena Mercioiu (SAC), 8-5
Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Claire Galerkin / Madeleine Page (UCD), 8-2
Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Lou Anne Guerbert / Marlene Foerster (NEV), 8-3
Jenna Gordon / Maria Antonova (SCU) def. Weronika Ejsmont / Best Lee (SAC), 8-6
CAL FALL INVITATIONAL - SINGLES
Blue Draw - Main
R32 - Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Amahee Charrier (NEV), 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3
R16 - Tomi Main (PAC) def. Mayya Gorbunova (SAC), 6-4, 7-5
Gold Draw - Main
R64 - Maddy Ferreros (SAC), First Round Bye
R32 - Justine Dondonay (LBSU) def. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 6-2, 6-4
R64 - Rhona Cook (LBSU) def. Elena Mercioiu (SAC), 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
R64 - Marlene Foerster (NEV) def. Weronika Ejsmont (SAC), 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1
Gold Draw - Consolation
R32 - Maddy Ferreros (SAC) def. Olivia Rook (SMC), 6-0, 6-4
R32 - Carla Pacot (UCSB) def. Elena Mercioiu (SAC), 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
White Draw - Main
R32 - Best Lee (SAC) def. Zara Fung (PAC), 6-0, 6-3
R16 - Madeleine Page (UCD) def. Best Lee (SAC), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
R32 - Caroline Wernli (GONZ) def. Grace McSkimming (SAC), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
R32 - Irene Riva (SAC) def. Anna Semler (SCU), 6-0, 6-1
R16 - Irene Riva (SAC) def. Kennedy Robinson (NEV), 6-4, 7-5
QF - Irene Riva (SAC) def. Cami Brown (CAL), 6-4, 6-4
SF - Irene Riva (SAC) vs. Hana Becirovic Novak (LBSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
F - Irene Riva (SAC) def. Ella Nielsen (GONZ), 6-2, 6-4
White Draw - Consolation
R16 - Grace McSkimming (SAC) def. Kacey Feng (SCU), 7-5, 6-2
Additional Matches
Grace McSkimming (SAC) def. Anna Semler (SCU), 6-1, 6-1
Elena Mercioiu (SAC) def. Finley Kalinic (SCU), 6-4, 2-6, 10-5
Emily Robertson (GONZ) def. Maddy Ferreros (SAC), 6-2, 6-1
Tian Yu Dong (SMC) def. Best Lee (SAC), 7-5, 6-4
Eliza Bates (CP) def. Weronika Ejsmont (SAC), 6-2, 4-6, 10-6
Mayya Gorbunova (SAC) def. Tyra Richardson (UCSB), 2-6, 6-2, 10-2
