The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
#34 Illinois
No. 18 Women’s Tennis defeats No. 34 Illinois, 6-1
03.19.2019 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns sweep all six singles matches to improve to 7-3 entering Big 12 Conference play.
AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 18 University of Texas women's tennis team defeated No. 34 Illinois, 6-1, on Tuesday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns (7-3) won all six singles matches in their final non-conference dual-match of the season.
Illinois (6-8) jumped out to a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. Illinois' duo of Jaclyn Switkes and Sasha Belaya posted a 6-0 win at the No. 1 line against junior Petra Granic and sophomore Bojana Markovic.
Junior twin sisters Anna and Bianca Turati evened doubles action with a dominant 6-0 victory at the No. 2 spot against Asuka Kawai and Mia Rabinowitz. Illinois' No. 3 tandem of Dani Pedraza Novak and Emilee Duong clinched the point with a 6-3 win against senior Katie Poluta and sophomore Fernanda Labraña.
The Longhorns quickly gained control of the match with five straight-set wins in singles. No. 52 Granic improved to a perfect 4-0 this spring in dual-match singles play and evened the match score at 1-1 after a 6-0, 6-4 victory against Rabinowitz at the No. 3 spot. Poluta (6-1) followed with a 6-0, 6-4 win against Pedraza Novak at sixth singles.
No. 75 Bianca Turati earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory against No. 54 Kawai at the No. 1 line. No. 42 Anna Turati improved to 7-2 this spring and provided the clinching fourth point with a 6-0, 6-4 win against Switkes at second singles.
With the dual match decided, No. 105 Markovic added a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the No. 4 spot against Belaya. Labraña rounded out the afternoon by rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5) win against Duong at fifth singles. After dropping the first set and the second set tied at 3-3, Labraña won three consecutive games to close out the second set by a 6-3 score and force a 10-point match tiebreaker in the third set. Holding a 3-2 advantage in the tiebreaker, Labraña won three straight points to build a 6-4 lead and cruised to a 10-5 victory.
The Longhorns continue their five-match home stand when they begin Big 12 Conference play against No. 36 Kansas State on Friday, March 22. First serve for the K-State match is set for 3 p.m. Central at the Texas Tennis Center.
#18 Texas 6, #34 Illinois 1
Singles – Order of finish (3-6-1-2-4-5)
- #75 Bianca Turati (UT) def. #54 Asuka Kawai (Ill), 6-3, 6-2
- #42 Anna Turati (UT) def. Jaclyn Switkes (Ill), 6-0, 6-4
- #52 Petra Granic (UT) def. Mia Rabinowitz (Ill), 6-0, 6-4
- #105 Bojana Markovic (UT) def. Sasha Belaya (Ill), 6-4, 6-4
- Fernanda Labraña (UT) def. Emilee Duong (Ill), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)
- Katie Poluta (UT) def. Dani Pedraza Novak (Ill), 6-0, 6-4
Doubles – Order of finish (1-2-3)
- Jaclyn Switkes/Sasha Belaya (Ill) def. Petra Granic/Bojana Markovic (UT), 6-0
- Anna Turati/Bianca Turati (UT) def. Asuka Kawai/Mia Rabinowitz (Ill), 6-0
- Dani Pedraza Novak/Emilee Duong (Ill) def. Fernanda Labraña/Katie Poluta (UT), 6-3
Players Mentioned
