The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Iowa State
No. 14 Women’s Tennis tops No. 6 Iowa State, 6-1
03.24.2023 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns win the doubles point and five-of-six singles matches to improve to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in Big 12 play.
AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 14 University of Texas Women's Tennis team posted an impressive 6-1 victory against No. 6 Iowa State on Friday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns (13-3, 4-1 Big 12) earned the doubles point and won five-of-six singles matches against the Cyclones (12-3, 2-1 Big 12).
Texas jumped out to a 1-0 advantage after claiming the doubles point. The No. 48-ranked duo of freshman Nicole Khirin and graduate Marlee Zein earned a 6-3 victory on court 2 over Ange Oby Kajuru and Xinyi Nong. Trailing 1-0, Khirin and Zein won five-straight games to build a 5-1 cushion. After Kajuru and Nong answered by claiming back-to-back games to pull to within 5-3, Khirin and Zein earned a service break to finish off the victory and improve to 5-1 in dual-match play this spring.
The tandem of junior Taisiya Pachkaleva and freshman Nicole Rivkin clinched the doubles point for the Longhorns with a 6-2 win on court 3 against Miska Kadleckova and Sofia Cabezas. Trailing 1-0, Pachkaleva and Rivkin ran off five-straight games to take a 5-1 lead. After Kadleckova and Cabezas held serve to trim the margin to 5-2, Pachkaleva and Rivkin held serve to close out the match and move to 10-4 overall in doubles this year, including an 8-4 mark in dual-match action.
Junior No. 66 Charlotte Chavatipon opened singles action with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on court 3 against No. 96 Kadleckova. Tied at 3-3 in her opening set, Chavatipon claimed a service break, held serve and earned another break to close out the 6-3 first-set win. Trailing 4-3 in the second set, she again forced a service break, held serve and earned a final service break to close out her victory and move to 11-3 in dual-match singles play this spring.
Sophomore No. 110 Sabina Zeynalova pushed UT's lead to 3-0 with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win on court 2 against No. 53-ranked Kajuru. Zeynalova raced out to a 3-0 lead in her opening frame en route to a 6-1 first-set victory. She then built a 5-1 cushion in the second set, before Kajuru responded by winning back-to-back games to trim the deficit to 5-3. Zeynalova closed out the match by holding serve on a deuce point to improve to 10-2 in dual-match singles action this year.
The Cyclones registered their lone point of the afternoon when No. 51 Thasaporn Naklo tallied a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 win on court 1 against No. 76 Khirin. Trailing 3-2 in her second set, Khirin rallied to win four-straight games en route to her 6-3 set victory. Tied at 3-3 in the third set, Naklo claimed three of the next four games to finish her win. The loss marked the first setback for Khirin at the No. 1 spot in Big 12 play (4-1).
Pachkaleva clinched the overall dual-match victory with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3 win on court 4 over Anna Supapitch Kuearum. After splitting a pair of tiebreakers in the first two sets, Pachkaleva jumped out to a 3-1 cushion after a service break in the third set. The two players exchanged service breaks in each of the next four games, as Pachkaleva built a 5-3 advantage. She then held serve to close out her victory to move to 10-2 in dual-match singles play this spring.
Playing out the remaining singles matches, Rivkin added a 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4 victory on court 6 against Chie Kezuka. Tied at 4-4 in the third set, Rivkin held serve before earning a service break on a deuce point to finish out her win and improve to 8-4 in dual-match singles action. Junior Malaika Rapolu closed out Friday's action by rallying for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win on court 5 over Cabezas. Trailing 3-2 in her second set, Rapolu won four-straight games to close out her 6-3 set victory. Trailing 4-3 in the decisive third set, she claimed a service break, held service and earned another service break on a deuce point to close out her win and move to 18-7 overall in singles this season, including a 10-4 mark in dual-match play.
Texas returns to the court when it hosts No. 72 West Virginia on Sunday, March 26. First serve is set for 10 a.m. Central at the Texas Tennis Center, and the match will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.
#14 Texas 6, #6 Iowa State 1
Singles – Order of finish (3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 5)
- #51 Thasaporn Naklo (ISU) def. #76 Nicole Khirin (UT), 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
- #110 Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. #53 Ange Oby Kajuru (ISU), 6-1, 6-3
- #66 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. #96 Miska Kadleckova (ISU), 6-3, 6-4
- Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Anna Supapitch Kuearum (ISU), 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3
- Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Sofia Cabezas (ISU), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
- Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Chie Kezuka (ISU), 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-4
Doubles – Order of finish (2, 3)
- #41 Charlotte Chavatipon/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) vs. #52 Thasaporn Naklo/Anna Supapitch Kuearum (ISU), 5-3, unfinished
- #48 Nicole Khirin/Marlee Zein (UT) def. Ange Oby Kajuru/Xinyi Nong (ISU), 6-3
- Taisiya Pachkaleva/Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Miska Kadleckova/Sofia Cabezas (ISU), 6-2
Players Mentioned
