After flying towards the sunshine on Sept. 24, Chelsea Bluestein took the BYU women's tennis team all the way to the semifinals at the University of San Diego.
The Cougars have officially started their fall schedule. All nine players competed in the 5th USTA SoCal Intercollegiate Tennis Championships Sept. 24 through Sept. 27. Sixty-four players from 16 schools played in a single-elimination fashion on outdoor hard courts.
After signing with the team back in 2024, Bluestein is now entering her third year with the Cougars. The 5-foot-9 transfer previously played for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but has found her home to be with the Cougars.
In the first round of women’s open singles, Bluestein went 2-6 before winning the next two sets, advancing to the next round. Despite a loss in the first set, Bluestein found her rhythm. She continued to take that rhythm to the Round of 32, winning against Sein Myoung from Stanford University in two sets.
In the Round of 16, Bluestein took the first set 6-2, but her opponent took the second set 5-7. The two ultimately had to play a tiebreak, where Bluestein won with a score of 7-4.
Alongside Bluestein, teammate Sue Yan Tan advanced to the quarterfinals. However, the bracket made it so the two Cougars had to face each other. With both having the opportunity to bring BYU a step further in the tournament, Bluestein continued to the semifinals after three sets.
Meanwhile, the newest addition to the team, Sephi Sheng, made it past the first round in women’s open singles after winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, against Emilija Pranyte of San Jose State University. Sephi is a Provo native, and she continues to prove herself in her hometown.
Beyond singles, Tan and partner Cara Korhonen dominated in the Women’s Open Doubles. In the round of 16, they defeated a pairing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 6-2, qualifying for the quarterfinals.
The Cougars will compete in the Big 12 individuals in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this weekend, and will continue in tournaments until Nov. 22.