The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
TCU (Big 12 Championship quarterfinals)
No. 24 Women's Tennis rallies past No. 25 TCU, 4-3 in Big 12 Championships quarterfinals
04.28.2017 | Women's Tennis
Longhorns come back from 3-1 down to advance to Saturday’s semifinals against top-seeded Texas Tech.
NORMAN, Okla. – No. 24 Texas found itself in a 3-1 hole, but the fourth-seeded Longhorns (13-7) produced three consecutive singles victories to close out a 4-3 win over fifth-seeded TCU (13-9) Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Big 12 Championships. UT takes on top-seeded Texas Tech in Saturday's semifinals at 2 p.m. CT.
TCU won doubles decisions at the third and second positions to claim the doubles point and a 1-0 lead. Texas' Bianca Turati and Dani Wagland led TCU's Alexis Pereira and Sofiko Kadzhaya 3-2 at third doubles, but the TCU tandem took the next four games and closed out a 6-3 win.
At second doubles, TCU's Caroline Wegner and Donika Bashota broke UT's Petra Granic and Daniella Roldan for a 3-2 lead and held on for a 6-4 win. The remaining court at first doubles was suspended with Texas leading 5-3.
TCU extended its lead to 2-0 behind Wegner's 6-4, 6-2 win over UT's Wagland at sixth singles. Texas freshman Anna Turati put the Horns on the board with her straight-sets win over Olaya Garrido-Rivas at fourth singles. Turati held a 5-2 first-set lead only to see Garrido-Rivas even the set at five. Turati held serve for 6-5 and broke Garrido-Rivas to close out the first set, 7-5.
Turati broke Garrido-Rivas for a 2-0 second-set lead and never looked back on her way to a 7-5, 6-1 victory. TCU's Kadzhaya responded at second singles and delivered a 6-4, 6-4 win over UT senior Neda Koprcina that gave the Horned Frogs a 3-1 lead. However, Texas ran the table on the three remaining courts and earned its spot in Saturday's semifinals.
The 80th-ranked freshman Granic helped keep the Horns alive with her straight-sets win at third singles. Granic assumed a 4-1 first-set lead over TCU's Aleksandra Zenovka before relinquishing her lead and the next four games. Granic broke Zenovka for 5-all, and they exchanged service breaks once more on their way to a tiebreaker, where Granic prevailed, 7-4.
Granic broke Zenovka for a 2-0 second-set lead and put away the second set, 6-2 to pull the Horns within 3-2. UT sophomore Daniella Roldan broke TCU's Donika Bashota for a 6-5 first-set lead at fifth singles and held serve to finish off the first set, 7-5. Bashota took the second set, 6-3 to stay in the match. Roldan broke Bashota's serve for 3-1 and held for 4-1 before Bashota returned the favor to pull within 4-3. Roldan broke Bashota once more for 5-3 and held serve in the ensuing game to pull the Horns even at 3-all.
The deciding match at first singles pitted UT's 42nd-ranked freshman Bianca Turati against TCU's 57th-ranked senior Seda Arantekin. Turati dropped the first set, 6-1, but at 3-all in the second set, she broke Arantekin for 4-3, held serve and broke Arantekin once more to close out a 6-3 second-set win.
Turati and Arantekin had difficulties holding their serve throughout the third set. With Turati leading 5-4, she registered one last service break to fend off Arantekin, 6-4 and give Texas its 4-3 quarterfinal victory.
2017 Big 12 Championships - Quarterfinals
No. 24 Texas 4, No. 25 TCU 3
Doubles – Order of Finish: 3, 2
1 Neda Koprcina/Anna Turati (UT) vs. Seda Arantekin/Olaya Garrido-Rivas (TCU), 5-3, susp.
2 Caroline Wegner/Donika Bashota (TCU) def. Petra Granic/Daniella Roldan (UT), 6-4
3 Alexis Pereira/Sofiko Kadzhaya (TCU) def. Bianca Turati/Dani Wagland (UT), 6-3
Singles – Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
1 No. 42 Bianca Turati (UT) def. No. 57 Seda Arantekin (TCU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
2 Sofiko Kadzhaya (TCU) def. No. 82 Neda Koprcina (UT), 6-4, 6-4
3 No. 80 Petra Granic (UT) def. Aleksandra Zenovka (TCU), 7-6 (4), 6-2
4 Anna Turati (UT) def. Olaya Garrido-Rivas (TCU), 7-5, 6-1
5 Daniella Roldan (UT) def. Donika Bashota (TCU), 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
6 Caroline Wegner (TCU) def. Dani Wagland (UT), 6-4, 6-2
Players Mentioned
