The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Washington
No. 1 Women’s Tennis sweeps Washington, 4-0
02.11.2023 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns advance to the quarterfinals at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship and will face No. 14 Iowa State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Central.
SEATTLE — The No. 1 University of Texas Women's Tennis team (7-0) earned a 4-0 sweep against host Washington (5-2) on Friday evening in a Round of 16 match in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. With the win, the Longhorns advance to face No. 14 Iowa State in the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Central (3:30 p.m. Pacific).
Texas grabbed a 1-0 advantage by taking the doubles point. The duo of sophomore Sabina Zeynalova and graduate Marlee Zein earned a 6-3 victory on court 3 over Sarah-Maude Fortin and Jennifer Kerr. Zeynalova and Zein jumped out to a 4-1 cushion, before Fortin and Kerr won two of the next three games to climb to within 5-3. In the following game, Zeynalova and Zein rallied from down 30-40 to hold serve and close out the 6-3 victory.
The tandem of junior Taisiya Pachkaleva and freshman Nicole Rivkin clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win on court 2 against Hikaru Sato and Zehra Suko. Sato and Suko built a 3-0 lead before Pachkaleva and Rivkin answered by winning three-straight games to even the match. After Sato and Suko held serve to gain a 4-3 advantage, Pachkaleva and Rivkin rallied from down 15-40 in the next game to hold serve and tie the score at 4-4. Pachkaleva and Rivkin followed with a service break and then held serve to finish off the match.
In singles action, No. 71 Zeynalova posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory on court 2 over Fortin. Zeynalova won the opening four games en route to her 6-1 first-set win. Tied at 3-3 in the second set, she claimed three-straight games to close out the match. Junior No. 69 Malaika Rapolu increased UT's lead to 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-3 win on court 3 against Astrid Olsen. Leading 2-1 in her opening set, Rapolu captured four-straight games to finish out the 6-1 first-set victory. Trailing 3-2 in the second set, she claimed four-straight games to close out the win.
Freshman Nicole Khirin clinched the overall dual-match win for the Longhorns by rallying for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory on court 1 over Sato. After dropping her opening set and tied at 2-2 in the second set, Khirin won four-straight games capped by a service break on a deuce point to even the match at one set apiece. In the decisive third set, Khirin held a 2-0 advantage before rallying from down 15-40 to hold serve and take a 3-0 lead. Leading 5-3, she overcame a 30-40 deficit and held serve on a deuce point to complete her win.
The remaining three singles matches featuring Pachkaleva (court 4), Rivkin (court 5) and No. 113 Zein (court 6) were all in third sets when they were halted after Khirin's clinching victory.
#1 Texas 4, Washington 0
Singles – Order of finish (2, 3, 1)
- Nicole Khirin (UT) def. Hikaru Sato (UW), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
- #71 Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin (UW), 6-1, 6-3
- #69 Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Astrid Olsen (UW), 6-1, 6-3
- Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) vs. Jennifer Kerr (UW), 2-6, 6-3, 5-6, unfinished
- Nicole Rivkin (UT) vs. Melissa Sakar (UW), 1-6, 6-3, 5-6, unfinished
- #113 Marlee Zein (UT) vs. Erika Matsuda (UW), 6-7 (8-6), 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
Doubles – Order of finish (3, 2)
- Nicole Khirin/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) vs. Astrid Olsen/Erika Matsuda (UW), 4-4, unfinished
- Taisiya Pachkaleva/Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Hikaru Sato/Zehra Suko (UW), 6-4
- Sabina Zeynalova/Marlee Zein (UT) def. Sarah-Maude Fortin/Jennifer Kerr (UW), 6-3
Players Mentioned
