By: Washington State Athletic Communications
WAKE FOREST, N.C. – Washington State freshman Michaela Bayerlova made history with her opening-round victory at the 2018 NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship, becoming the first Cougar player to win a match at the singles championship.
Bayerlova, ranked No. 23 nationally, defeated Virginia Tech's 49th-ranked Natalie Novotna, 7-5, 6-1, in Wednesday's first round. After trailing 3-0 in the first set, the Cougar freshman won five of the next seven games to even the match at 5-5. She broke Novotna to take her first lead of the match to lead 6-5 then held serve to capture the opening set.