The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Florida State
No. 10 Women’s Tennis wins ITA Kickoff Texas Regional Championship
01.27.2024 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns swept Florida State, 4-0, to advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight year
Austin – No. 10 Texas Women's Tennis (2-1) claimed a 4-0 sweep against Florida State (2-1) on Saturday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. With the victory, the Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight year. The National Indoors will take place from Feb. 9-12 in Seattle, Wash.
After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, the Longhorns received singles victories from senior Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, senior No. 106 Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, and senior No. 45 Malaika Rapolu at No. 3.
In doubles, the tandem of junior Sabina Zeynalova and senior Taisiya Pachkaleva finished first by taking down Krystina Lavickova and Anna Arkadianou, 6-2, at No. 1. The Texas duo dropped two deuce-point games for a break and a hold to start them match, but from there they responded by going on a 6-0 run and won the final two games with deuce point victories.
Seconds later, Sasnouskaya and Rapolu clinched the doubles point for the Horns with a 6-3 win over Eva Shaw and Ellie Schoppe on No. 2. FSU earned an opening game break to take an early 1-0 lead, but Sasnouskaya and Rapolu answered with a break of their own and then held on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead. After the Seminoles held for 2-2, the Longhorns went on a 3-0 run that included a deuce-point break. FSU was able to hold serve for 5-3, but Texas held as well to clinch the win and the doubles point.
In the remaining match at No. 3, Chavatipon and Ovrootsky trailed Laura Putz and Millie Bissett, 5-3, when play stopped. FSU broke Texas to open the match, and after three consecutive games went to deuce, the pair found themselves in a 2-2 tie. Chavatipon and Ovrootsky went up 3-2, but FSU responded by going on a 3-0 run before it halted.
In singles, Ovrootsky was the first to finish, registering a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 6 over Maelie Monfils. Ovrootsky opened the match by going on an 8-0 tear, winning the first set 6-0, including the last three games at deuce, and going up 2-0 in the second set before finally allowing a game to Monfils, which came on a deuce point. Ovrootsky continued her clutch play by winning the next three games on deuce points for 5-1. Monfils managed to get one more game on serve, but Ovrootsky responded by holding with yet another deuce-point win to give Texas a 2-0 team lead.
Chavatipon was next off the singles courts with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Putz at No. 4. Chavatipon broke and held to open the match, 2-0, and did it again to go up 4-0 with both holds coming at deuce. Putz then held to get a game back and make it 4-1, but Chavatipon responded by winning two more games on deuce points to finish the first set, 6-1. In the second, the first three games were on serve until Chavatipon earned a break to gain a 3-1 advantage and then consolidated for a 4-1 lead. Putz earned a deuce-point win to get a game back, but Chavitipon held the rest of the way, including at deuce on match point, to earn the win and put the Longhorns ahead, 3-0.
The clinching match for Texas was Rapolu's 6-3, 6-3 win over Lavickova at No. 3. Both women broke the other in the first three games before Lavickova held for a 3-1 lead. Rapolu answered with a 5-0 run that included three deuce-point victories for 2-3, 5-3 and 6-3. In the second set Rapolu broke first for a 2-1 advantage, which was the first of three-straight breaks, until Rapolu held again for 4-2. Lavickova picked up one more game on serve, but Rapolu won the last two, capped with a deuce-point victory to close out the win.
Florida State led in two of the remaining three matches when play was halted. On No. 2, Sasnouskaya dropped the first set 6-2 to Arkadianou and was trailing 5-3 in the second set. In the first, Arkadianou broke Sasnouskaya for a 3-1 lead and then held on a deuce point to go up 4-1, a lead she was able to maintain to take the first set. In the second set, Arkadianou went up 2-0 after a hold and break and did not relinquish the lead through the stoppage of play.
In the match at No. 1, Zeynalova opened with a 3-0 run with two breaks. However, Schoppe responded by winning the next four games, three of them on deuce points for 3-1, 3-3 and 4-3. Not to be outdone, Zeynalova won the next three games to take the first set 6-4. In the second set, Schoppe was up 5-3 after winning deuce points in back-to-back games at 3-3 when play was stopped.
In the final match, Pachkaleva was trailing Bissett 7-5, 4-3 when play was halted. After being knotted up at 5-5, Bissett won two consecutive deuce points to take the first set. Bissett opened the second by breaking Pachkaleva twice and holding for 3-0. Pachkaleva responded with a hold and a break of her own on a deuce point for 3-2, but Bissett answered the deuce-point break and held before play was stopped.
The Longhorns will next host back-to-back ranked opponents at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center against No. 24 Wisconsin on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. CT, and No. 4 Georgia on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 10 a.m. CT.
#10 Texas 4, Florida State 0
Singles – Order of Finish (6,4,3)
1. Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) vs. Ellie Schoppe (FSU) 6-4, 3-5, unfinished
2. #20 Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) vs. Anna Arkadianou (FSU) 2-6, 3-5, unfinished
3. #45 Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) def. Kristyna Lavickova (FSU) 6-3, 6-3
4. #106 Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) def. Laura Putz (FSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) vs. Millie Bissett (FSU) 5-7, 3-4, unfinished
6. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. Maelie Monfils (FSU) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,2)
1. Sabina Zeynalova/Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) def. Kristyna Lavickova/Anna Arkadianou (FSU) 6-2
2. Tanya Sasnouskaya/Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) def. Eva Shaw/Ellie Schoppe (FSU) 6-3
3. Vivian Ovrootsky/Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) vs. Laura Putz/Millie Bissett (FSU) 3-5, unfinished
Players Mentioned
