The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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No. 5 Women’s Tennis wins at No. 6 Cal, 4-3
02.27.2022 | Women's Tennis
Zeynalova earns the clinching point at No. 3 singles and improves to 8-0 in dual-match singles play this spring.
BERKELEY, Calif. — The No. 5 University of Texas Women's Tennis team claimed a hard-fought 4-3 victory at No. 6 California on Sunday afternoon at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Freshman Sabina Zeynalova clinched the match for the Longhorns at No. 3 singles with a straight-set victory to improve to a perfect 8-0 in dual-match singles play this spring.
Texas moved to 8-3 in dual-match play this season, while Cal dropped to 6-5. This marked the second meeting in a span of 14 days between the two programs, as the Longhorns earned a 4-2 win over the Golden Bears in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships (Madison, Wis.) on Feb. 13.
UT grabbed an early 1-0 cushion by claiming the doubles point. The tandem of sophomore Charlotte Chavatipon and Zeynalova posted a 6-4 victory on court 3 against Erin Richardson and Julia Rosenqvist. Tied at 4-4, Chavatipon and Zeynalova held serve and then earned a service break to close out their win. The sophomore duo of Kylie Collins and Peyton Stearns clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court 1 over the No. 59-ranked pair of Haley Giavara and Valentina Ivanov. Leading 4-3, Collins and Stearns recorded a service break on a deuce point and then held serve in the following game to finish out the victory.
Cal evened the score at 1-1 when Rosenqvist completed a 7-5, 6-1 win on court 5 against freshman Bella Zamarripa. No. 4 Stearns gave the Longhorns a 2-1 advantage with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court 1 over Giavara. Stearns moved to 12-1 in dual-match singles action this spring.
The Golden Bears tied the match at 2-2 after No. 94 Katja Wiersholm earned a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) win on court 4 against Chavatipon. Freshman Vivian Ovrootsky put Texas in front to stay with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory on court 6 over Hannah Viller Moeller. Trailing 5-4 in the opening set, Ovrootsky earned a service break on a deuce point to save a set point and went on to claim the first set in a tiebreaker. She then cruised through the second set to improve to 6-3 in dual-match singles play this spring.
Zeynalova clinched the overall dual-match victory for the Longhorns with a 6-3, 6-3 win on court 3 against Ivanov. Playing out the remaining singles match, No. 48 Jessica Alsola earned a 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 victory on court 2 over No. 40 Collins.
The Longhorns return to the courts when they travel to face No. 39 UCF on Sunday, March 6. First serve is set for 11 a.m. Central (Noon Eastern) at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.
#5 Texas 4, #6 Cal 3
Singles – Order of finish (5, 1, 4, 6, 3, 2)
- #4 Peyton Stearns (UT) def. Haley Giavara (Cal), 6-4, 6-3
- #48 Jessica Alsola (Cal) def. #40 Kylie Collins (UT), 6-4, 2-6, 6-0
- Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-3, 6-3
- #94 Katja Wiersholm (Cal) def. Charlotte Chavatipon (UT), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
- Julia Rosenqvist (Cal) def. Bella Zamarripa (UT), 7-5, 6-1
- Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
Doubles – Order of finish (3, 1)
- Kylie Collins/Peyton Stearns (UT) def. #59 Haley Giavara/Valentina Ivanov (Cal), 6-3
- Allura Zamarripa/Bella Zamarripa (UT) vs. Jessica Alsola/Katja Wiersholm (Cal), 4-3, unfinished
- Charlotte Chavatipon/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Erin Richardson/Julia Rosenqvist (Cal), 6-4
Players Mentioned
