MEN'S BRACKET
No. 3 Ohio State 4, No. 7 UCLA 3
Key match: Justin Kronauge fought through leg cramps to beat Harei Srugo 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 3 line to decide the match. Kronauge broke at 5-4 thanks to two double faults, then won it on a point in which both players appeared to have hit winners near the net twice before Kronauge's forehand volley found the open court.
Ohio State on the match: "We escaped with a win. After three years of losing in the quarterfinals we caught a big break today. Srugo got a little timid at the end when Kronauge was cramping and left balls in the middle of the court, and Kronauge was able to tag them," coach Ty Tucker said.
UCLA on the match: "As lucky as we were to win yesterday (4-3 vs. Mississippi), just the reverse [today], so that's how these matches are here, very little difference between winning and losing. ... If we pull off that last game where we have an ad and it looks like he's starting to cramp really badly, we've got a chance because if we play another two or three games you don't know how the young man [Kronauge] is going to hold up," coach Billy Martin said.
Note: Ohio State's Matt Allare twisted his ankle in the tiebreaker of his match and his condition was unknown. Tucker said he would play Tuesday unless it's broken.
Records: Ohio State (36-1), UCLA (21-5)
Next: Ohio State vs. Southern Cal, championship, 2 p.m. Tuesday
WOMEN'S BRACKET
No. 3 Duke 5, No. 2 Georgia 2
Key match: For one of only a couple times in the entire tournament, no match went to a third set. The higher-ranked player won at every line. Duke's doubles team of Reka Zsilinszka and Eliah Nze have played a key role in Duke winning the doubles point the last two matches.
Duke on the match: "They knew they could be one of the best teams in the country and they've done a great job taking advantage of that opportunity. This is my 13th year and only the second time in the finals and the last time was my first year, and I thought, 'Oh, this is easy stuff,' but it's tough. ... "We've relied at Mallory Cecil at No. 1 a lot, and for us to beat a team that's ranked No. 2 in the country and taking a loss at No. 1 is a great thing for our team. It shows the rest of our team that we don't have to rely on her point to win against a great team," coach Jamie Ashworth said.
Georgia on the match: "I thought we missed some opportunities in doubles. We were up 5-2 on one court and 4-2 on another court and didn't get it done there, and that gave them momentum going into the singles," coach Jeff Wallace said.
Records: Duke (28-3), Georgia (27-3)
Next: Duke vs. California, championship, 6 p.m., Tuesday
No. 8 California 4, No. 5 Notre Dame 2
Key match: Claire Ilcinkas defeated Shannon Matthews 6-3, 7-6 (3). Matthews was coming off an emotional match in which she won a long three-setter at No. 4 to beat Baylor 4-3.
California on the match: "Getting back here has been our singular focus. We felt we had enough talent to do it, whereas last year we were just excited to be in the final. I don't know if we as a team, per se, believed we could win last year. ... "I think it could be a great final, every spot in the lineup could go three sets," coach Amanda Augustus said.
Notre Dame on the match: "We knew for us to win we had to win the doubles point because their singles is so good, and we did. Then we hoped we could find three singles somewhere, maybe one of them would trip and fall, that could have been our only chance. We were hoping to get it into a tight situation, because when you get this far it's more about pressure than tennis," coach Jay Louderback said.
Records: California (22-4), Notre Dame (28-5)
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