LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Texas No. 14 women’s tennis team recorded a 6-1 win at No. 19 Kansas (11-3, 2-2 Big 12) at Jayhawks Tennis Center Sunday afternoon. The Longhorns dropped the colon but rebounded to win all six singles games and improve to 12-3 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 Conference play.
The Jayhawks secured an early 1-0 lead by taking the colon. Junior duo No. 27 Charlotte Chavatipon and second graders Sabina Zeynalova scored a 6-1 win over Maria Titova and Tamari Gagoshidze in 2nd place. Chavatipon and Zeynalova raced out to a 4-0 cushion and ended the match on a break of serve with a two-pointer to improve to 7-2 in doubles this spring.
The tandem of Malkia Ngounoue and Heike Janse Van Vuuren achieved a 6-2 win over the newcomer in first place Nicole Chirin and graduate Marlee Zein. This was the first doubles game loss for Khirin and Zein, who fell back to 4-1 this spring. Kansas clinched the double as 3rd-ranked pair Roxana Manu and Jocelyn Massey held Junior in a 6-4 win Taisiya Pachkaleva and newbie Nicole Rivkin. At 3-3, Pachkaleva and Rivkin earned a break of serve to take a 4-3 lead. Manu and Massey responded by winning the next three games to end the match.
Junior Malaika Rapolu leveled the aggregate in doubles as they opened the singles game with a 6-0, 6-4 win over 5th-ranked Gagoshidze. Rapolu trailed 4-3 in her second set, winning three straight games to end her win. Rivkin followed in sixth place with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Massey. Rivkin took an identical 3-0 lead in both sets and dominated her match from start to finish.
Khirin extended UT’s lead to 3-1 with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 win in No. 1 against Ngounoue in No. 45. Khirin drew 2-2 in her opening set and won four of the next five games to complete her 6-3 win from the first set to end. Trailing 3-1 in her second set, Khirin won five of the next six games to cap her win and improve to 6-2 in singles tackles this season.
Pachkaleva gave the Longhorns the overall doubles win with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win on Court 4 over Van Vuuren. Pachkaleva tied 2-2 in the deciding third set and won four of the next five games to cap her win and move to 9-2 in dual-match singles this spring.
The number 101 Zeynalova played the remaining two singles matches and won in 3rd place 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 1-0 (10-5) over Manu. In her opener tiebreak, Zeynalova jumped out to a 5-1 cushion and drove in the breaker for a 7-4 win. During the super tiebreak in the third set, Zeynalova bounced back from a 2-1 hole, winning five straight points and building a 6-2 lead. Manu responded by winning the next three points to narrow the lead to 6-5 before Zeynalova won four straight points to cap her win and improve to 9-2 in singles tackles this season.
No. 58 Chavatipon ended Sunday’s action with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3) win in second place over Titova. The tiebreaker in the third set was tied at 3-3 before Chavatipon won four straight points to cap their win and move up to 10-3 in dual-match singles this spring.
Texas returns to court when it hosts the No. 4 state on Friday, March 24. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central at the Texas Tennis Center.
#14 Texas 6, #19 Kansas 1
Singles – Ranking (5, 6, 1, 4, 3, 2)
- Nicole Chirin (UT) def. #45 Malkia Ngounoue (KU), 6-3, 6-4
- #58 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Maria Titova (KU), 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 6 (7: 3)
- #101 Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Roxana Manu (KU), 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 1-0 (10-5)
- Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Heike Janse Van Vuuren (KU), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
- Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Tamari Gagoshidze (KU), 6-0, 6-4
- Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Jocelyn Massey (KU), 6-2, 6-3
Doubles – Goal Order (2, 1, 3)
- Malkia Ngounoue/Heike Janse Van Vuuren (KU) defeated. Nicole Chirin/Marlee Zein (UT), 6-2
- #27 Charlotte Chavatipon/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Maria Titova/Tamari Gagoshidze (KU), 6:1
- Roxana Manu/Jocelyn Massey (KU) defeated. Taisiya Pachkaleva/Nicole Rivkin (UT), 6-4
