The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Middle Tennessee State
No. 6 Women’s Tennis defeats Middle Tennessee State, 4-0
01.26.2019 | Women's Tennis
Longhorns win ITA Kick-Off Weekend opener and advance to Sunday’s championship match against Baylor.
AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 6 University of Texas women's tennis team swept Middle Tennessee State 4-0 in its ITA Kick-Off Weekend opener on Saturday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. With the victory, the Longhorns (1-0) advance to Sunday's championship match against Baylor, which defeated Wichita State, 4-1.
Texas opened the match by claiming the doubles point. Juniors Anna Turati and Bianca Turati cruised to a 6-1 win against Lee Barnard and Marta Peris Herrero at the No. 3 spot.
The sophomore duo of Fernanda Labraña and Bojana Markovic jumped out to a 4-2 lead at No. 2 doubles against Kim Kermet and Luisa Zirilli. MTSU's pair won three straight games to take a 5-4 advantage, before Labraña and Markovic answered back to win three consecutive games to close out a 7-5 victory and give the Longhorns a 1-0 advantage.
The Longhorns closed out the dual-match win in short order with three straight-set victories. No. 53 junior Petra Granic gave the Longhorns a 2-0 cushion with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win against Lidia Burrows at three singles. No. 77 Labraña followed with a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Lee Barnard at fifth singles.
From there it was a race to the finish to determine who would provide the clinching point for the Longhorns. All-American Bianca Turati surged to a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 1 singles against Costanza Magazzini to seal the win. Markovic led Zani Barnard by a 6-1, 5-4 score at No. 4 singles when Turati finished her match.
The Longhorns will play Baylor (5-1) in the championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central at the Texas Tennis Center. The winner of that match will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, scheduled for Feb. 8-11 in Seattle. Middle Tennessee State (1-2) and Wichita State (0-1) will play in a consolation match at 10 a.m. Central.
#6 Texas 4, Middle Tennessee State 0
Singles – Order of finish (3,5,1)
- Bianca Turati (UT) def. Costanza Magazzini (MTSU), 6-2, 6-0
- #49 Anna Turati (UT) vs. Kim Kermet (MTSU), 6-1, 3-3, unfinished
- #53 Petra Granic (UT) def. Lidia Burrows (MTSU), 6-1, 6-1
- Bojana Markovic (UT) vs. Zani Barnard (MTSU), 6-1, 5-4, unfinished
- #77 Fernanda Labraña (UT) def. Lee Barnard (MTSU), 6-0, 6-2
- #63 Tijana Spasojevic (UT) vs. Luisa Zirilli (MTSU), 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
Doubles – Order of finish (3,2)
- Petra Granic/Tijana Spasojevic (UT) vs. Costanza Magazzini/Zani Barnard (MTSU), 6-6, unfinished
- Bojana Markovic/Fernanda Labraña (UT) def. Kim Kermet/Luisa Zirilli (MTSU), 7-5
- Anna Turati/Bianca Turati (UT) def. Lee Barnard/Marta Peris Herrero (MTSU), 6-1
Players Mentioned
