The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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TCU
No. 2 Women’s Tennis claims outright Big 12 title with 7-0 win at TCU
04.18.2021 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns finish the regular season at 22-1 overall and capture their third-straight outright Big 12 regular-season championship.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The No. 2 University of Texas women's tennis team earned its third consecutive outright Big 12 regular-season title by virtue of a 7-0 sweep at TCU (9-12, 3-6 Big 12) on Sunday afternoon at the Friedman Tennis Center. UT won its 15th consecutive dual match and improved to 22-1 on the year, including a perfect 9-0 mark in Big 12 play.
Texas has now captured 23 regular-season league championships, including 11 in the Big 12 Conference (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001-co, 2002, 2004, 2007-co, 2018, 2019 and 2021) and 12 in the Southwest Conference (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988-co, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996). This marks the first time that the Longhorns have won three-straight outright Big 12 regular-season titles since they won four consecutive outright crowns from 1997-2000.
UT extended its streak of consecutive Big 12 regular-season dual-match wins to 31, as the Longhorns have not dropped a conference regular-season contest since the 2017 season. The Longhorns went 9-0 in Big 12 play in 2018 and matched the feat in 2019. There was no league champion crowned in 2020 due to COVID-19, when UT posted a 2-0 mark in conference action before the season was canceled.
Texas grabbed a 1-0 lead after claiming the doubles point for the 21st time in its first 23 matches. The No. 47-ranked duo of freshmen Peyton Stearns and Charlotte Chavatipon broke a 1-1 tie by winning the next five games to post a 6-1 victory on court 3 over Tate Schroeder and Margaret Polk. Stearns and Chavatipon won their ninth consecutive match and improved to 11-1 in dual-match action this spring.
The No. 14-ranked tandem of freshmen Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win on court 1 against the No. 51-ranked pair of Marie Norris and Stevie Kennedy. Norris and Kennedy jumped out to a 4-2 lead, but Collins and Sun rallied to win the next four games, including a service break at-love in the final game, to close out the win and move to 14-3 in dual-match doubles play.
No. 77 Chavatipon rallied from a 2-0 deficit in her second set to win six-straight games and complete a 6-0, 6-2 victory on court 4 against Kennedy. Chavatipon improved to 20-1 overall in singles this year, including a 17-1 mark in dual-match play (7-0 Big 12).
Leading 4-3 in her opening set, freshman Malaika Rapolu captured eight of the next nine games to close out a 6-3, 6-1 win on court 6 over Polk. Rapolu earned her 13th straight singles win and moved to 22-2 overall in singles this season, including a 15-1 record in dual-match action (7-0 Big 12).
Tied at 5-5 in her opening set, No. 72 Sun claimed eight of the next nine games to clinch the overall dual-match victory with a 7-5, 6-1 win on court 3 against Schroeder. Sun registered her 10th straight singles win and improved to 16-2 in dual-match singles play this year, including an 8-0 mark in Big 12 action.
No. 62 Collins followed with a 6-0, 7-6 (9-7) victory on court 5 over Isabel Pascual. Collins rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the second set to win four straight games and take a 6-5 lead. Pascual won the ensuing game to force a tiebreaker. In the breaker, Collins fought off a set point down 7-6 and won three straight points to close out her ninth consecutive singles victory. She moved to 14-2 in dual-match singles play, including a 9-0 mark in Big 12 action.
Senior No. 25 Anna Turati added a 6-1, 6-4 win on court 2 against No. 81 Mercedes Aristegui. Tied at 4-4 in the second set, Turati broke Aristegui and then held serve to close out the match and improve to 17-3 in dual-match singles action, including a 7-1 record in Big 12 play.
No. 31 Stearns put the finishing touches on Sunday's sweep with a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7) victory on court 1 over No. 69 Norris. In the third-set super breaker, Stearns jumped out to an 8-5 advantage but Norris answered with back-to-back points to trim the deficit to 8-7. Stearns responded by winning the next two points to close out the match and move to 14-5 overall in singles this year, including a 10-2 mark in dual-match play.
UT returns to action in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tennis Championship on Friday, April 23. The tournament will be held at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco. Texas will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament bracket which will be released later today.
#2 Texas 7, TCU 0
Singles – Order of finish (4, 6, 3, 5, 2, 1)
- #31 Peyton Stearns (UT) vs. #69 Marie Norris (TCU), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)
- #25 Anna Turati (UT) def. #81 Mercedes Aristegui (TCU), 6-1, 6-4
- #72 Lulu Sun (UT) def. Tate Schroeder (TCU), 7-5, 6-1
- #77 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Stevie Kennedy (TCU), 6-0, 6-2
- #62 Kylie Collins (UT) def. Isabel Pascual (TCU), 6-0, 7-6 (9-7)
- Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Margaret Polk (TCU), 6-3, 6-1
Doubles – Order of finish (3, 1)
- #14 Kylie Collins/Lulu Sun (UT) def. #51 Marie Norris/Stevie Kennedy (TCU), 6-4
- Fernanda Labraña/Anna Turati (UT) vs. Mercedes Aristegui/Isabel Pascual (TCU), 4-3, unfinished
- #47 Peyton Stearns/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Tate Schroeder/Margaret Polk (TCU), 6-1
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Players Mentioned
