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No. 7 Women’s Tennis sweeps UCF, 4-0
03.17.2024 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns picked up their fourth-straight sweep in Big 12 play on Sunday in Orlando.
Orlando – No. 7 Texas Women's Tennis (12-3, 5-0) swept UCF (4-10, 1-4), 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. It was the fourth-straight sweep for the Longhorns in Big 12 play.
After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, Texas received singles victories from freshman Shachf Lieberman at No. 6, senior Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, and sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky on No. 5 for the clinch.
In doubles, senior Malaika Rapolu and graduate Tanya Sasnouskaya were the first to finish with a 6-3 win over Anique Kattenberg and Noel Saidenova at No. 1. The match's first three games were on serve, giving Texas a 2-1 advantage after a deuce point hold. The Longhorns then secured the only break of the match for 3-1, which they consolidated for 4-1 on the way to the 6-3 win.
At No. 3, Lieberman and senior Taisiya Pachkaleva fell to Donatelle Guanieri and Olivia Lincer, 6-4. After Texas opened with a 3-1 lead, UCF answered with a break and hold to even it, 3-3. UCF earned a deuce-point hold to make it 4-4 before taking the next two games to complete the 6-4 win.
That left it to No. 2, where Chavatipon and Ovrootsky defeated Sophia Biolay and Jantje Tilbuerger, 6-4, to give Texas the doubles point. After the match stayed on serve through the first six games, the Longhorns picked up the break they needed for 4-3 and consolidated for 5-3. UCF fought off a match point with a deuce-point hold in the next game for 5-4, but Texas served it out in the ensuing game and took the 6-4 victory for the clinch.
Lieberman earned Texas' first singles win of the match with an efficient 6-1, 6-0 win over Guanieri on court 6. After Guanieri earned a deuce point hold to open the first set, the Texas freshman went on a dominating 12-0 run through the remainder of the match. Lieberman's first set victory was punctuated with a deuce-point break to win 6-1, and her momentum continued into the second set where she swept all six games, allowing only one to reach a deuce point.
Chavatipon gave the Horns a 3-0 overall lead with a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 106 Biolay on court 3. After both players earned deuce-point breaks to open at 1-1, they held on their ensuing service games for 2-2. Chavatipon then earned a break and a hold on consecutive deuce points to go up, 4-2, a margin that would maintain for the remainder of the first set. In the second, Chavatipon opened with a deuce-point break and a deuce-point hold before Biolay got one game back. However, Chavatipon promptly went on a 3-0 run to make it 5-1. The last two games then stayed on serve for the 6-2 win for Chavatipon, who managed to win six of the eight deuce points in the match.
Just seconds later, Ovrootsky clinched the victory for Texas with a 6-1, 7-6 (2) win over Kattenberg on No. 5. Ovrootsky opened the first set on a 5-0 run, but Kattenberg earned a deuce-point hold to avoid the bagel before Ovrootsky closed it out. Ovrootsky got out to fast start once again in the second set and took a 3-1 lead, but Kattenberg rallied for on a 3-0 run to earn her first lead of the match, 4-3. Ovrootsky stopped the run with a deuce-point hold to even it at 4-4 and then broke to make for 5-4. Kattenberg responded again by winning consecutive games to go up, 6-5, before Ovrootsky forced a second set tiebreaker. In the breaker, Kattenberg jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but it was all Ovrootsky from there as she closed on a 7-0 run for the win and the clinch.
The remaining matches with Rapolu, Sasnouskaya and Pachkaleva then went unfinished. On No.1, Rapolu won the first set against Lincer, 6-3, thanks to a 5-0 run after she found herself down, 3-1. Rapolu then had a 5-2 lead in the second set, but Lincer rallied to tie it, 5-5, when play stopped.
At No. 2, Sasnouskaya had the finish line in sight and was just two points away from victory over Saidenova when play halted. Sasnouskaya won the first set, 6-3, following a break that had given her a 4-2 lead. She also broke for 4-2 in the second set and had just earned a deuce-point hold to go up, 5-2, with the next game sitting at 30-30 when Ovrootsky clinched on No. 5.
At No. 4, Pachkaleva dropped the first set to Tilbuerger, 6-3, and trailed, 2-1, in the second set before turning things around with a 5-0 run to win that frame. Play was stopped before the third set could begin.
Up next, Texas will face No. 1 Oklahoma State in a conference battle at the Texas Tennis Center on Friday, March 22, at 3:30 p.m. CT.
#7 Texas 4, UCF 0
Singles – Order of Finish (6,5,3)
1. Olivia Lincer (UCF) vs. #21 Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
2. Noel Saidenova (UCF) vs. #39 Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) 3-6, 2-5, unfinished
3. Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) def. #106 Sophia Biolay (UCF) 6-4, 6-2
4. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) 6-3, 2-6, unfinished
5. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. Anique Kattenberg (UCF) 6-1, 7-6 (7-2)
6. Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) def. Donatella Guarnieri (UCF) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3,2)
1. Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) def. Anique Kattenberg/Noel Saidenova (UCF) 6-3
2. Vivian Ovrootsky/Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) def. Jantje Tilbuerger/Sophia Biolay (UCF) 6-4
3. Olivia Lincer/Donatella Guarnieri (UCF) def. Shachf Lieberman/Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) 6-4
Players Mentioned
