The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma State
No. 7 Women’s Tennis narrowly falls to No. 1 Oklahoma State, 4-3
03.22.2024 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns pushed the nation's top-ranked team deep into the third set of the deciding singles match before coming up just short.
Austin – No. 7 Texas Women's Tennis (12-4, 5-1) narrowly fell to No. 1 Oklahoma State (18-0, 7-0), 4-3, on Friday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center.
Texas took an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, and went on to receive singles victories from sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5 and senior Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, however Oklahoma State picked up singles wins at Nos. 4, 2, 6 and 1 to win.
In doubles, senior Taisiya Pachkaleva and freshman Shachf Lieberman were the first to finish with a 6-2 win over Safiya Carrington and Kristina Novak at No. 3. The Cowgirl duo opened the match with a break followed by a deuce-point hold for 2-0, but Pachkaleva and Lieberman responded with a deuce-point hold of their own, which ignited a 6-0 run to take the match.
Graduate Tanya Sasnouskaya and senior Malaika Rapolu then clinched the doubles point for with a victory over No. 8 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru at No. 1. Sasnouskaya and Rapolu opened the match by claiming two games decided by deuce points with a break and a hold. Komar and Kajuru responded with a hold to narrow their deficit to 2-1, but the Longhorn tandem answered with a deuce-point hold for 3-1 to begin a 3-0 run. At 5-1, the Cowgirls posted a 3-0 run of their own for 5-4, but Sasnouskaya and Rapolu held serve in the following game to win the match, 6-4.
Ovrootsky and Chavatipon's match against Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez at No. 2 was left unfinished with the Texas pair trailing the match, 5-3, before play was stopped. The first five games stayed on serve with each duo collecting a deuce-point hold in the process. With Miyamoto and Gonzalez leading, 3-2, the Oklahoma State tandem expanded their lead to 5-2 with a break followed by a deuce-point hold. Ovrootsky and Chavatipon held serve in the following game just before play was halted.
In singles, Oklahoma State won the first three matches to move out to a 3-1 overall lead starting with No. 111 Pachkaleva falling to No. 77 Carrington, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 4. After Carrington opened the match with a 3-0 run, Pachkaleva earned a deuce-point break for 3-1. Carrington answered with a deuce-point break of her own for 4-1, then held for 5-1. Pachkaleva responded with a hold then a break for 5-3, but Carrington would earn another deuce-point break in the following game to take the first set. With Carrington leading the second set 2-0, Pachkaleva broke on a deuce point for 2-1 to begin a streak of four consecutive games that were broken. Carrington got the set back on serve with a hold for 5-2, then broke once again in the following game to win.
No. 23 Rapolu's match against No. 4 Kajuru on court 2 was the next to finish. In the first set, Kajuru earned the match's first break on a deuce point in the fourth game for a 3-1 advantage. The set's following two games were also deuce-point breaks for 4-2 in favor of Kajuru. She went on to hold then break to take the first set, 6-2. Kajuru rode her momentum into the second set by winning the first two games. Rapolu ended Kajuru's run with a break for 2-1, but Kajuru answered with a break then hold for 4-1. At 5-2, Rapolu won consecutive games decided by deuce point to narrow Kajuru's lead to 5-4, but Kajuru broke the following game to win the second set, 6-4.
Lieberman then was downed by Novak, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 6. The match's first three games were decided by deuce points with Lieberman winning the first two. At 2-1, Lieberman broke to begin a four-game streak of breaks for a 4-3 lead. The set got back on serve with a Novak hold for 4-4, which began a 4-0 run to win the first set for Novak and provide a 1-0 advantage in the second set. Novak then earned the second set's first hold for 3-1 and went on to finish the match on a 3-1 run.
Ovrootsky earned the first singles victory of the contest for Texas with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 81 Miyamoto at No. 5, making the overall score 3-2 in favor of the Cowgirls. Ovrootsky broke first in the match for a 2-1 lead that she consolidated to 3-1. Miyamoto got the break back for 4-4, and at 5-5, Ovrootsky earned a pivotal deuce-point break for 6-5 then held serve in the following game to take the set. Three of the first four games of the second set were decided by deuce points, with the first two games being deuce-point breaks, and the fourth game being a deuce-point hold for Ovrootsky for 2-2. She would go on to win the remaining games and complete a 5-0 run to win the match.
Chavatipon evened the match, 3-3, with a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 65 Lucia Peyre on court 3. The match's first four games were decided by deuce point in which the senior was able to hold two and break one. At 3-1, Chavatipon held then broke for 5-1 before Peyre would earn a deuce-point break followed by a hold for 5-3. However, Chavatipon held serve in the following game to secure the first set and begin a 3-0 run. In the second set, Chavatipon held then collected a deuce-point break for 2-0. The next four games were also broken with each player earning deuce-point breaks for a 4-2 lead for Chavatipon, who closed on a 3-0 run for the win.
That left the overall match to be decided at No. 1, where No. 32 Sasnouskaya pushed deep into the third set against No. 10 Komar, but came up just short, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Komar opened with a deuce-point hold and a break for 2-0, but Sasnouskaya broke back for 2-1. That started a run of four-straight breaks, including the next two on deuce points, leaving Komar ahead, 4-2, before she closed out the set by winning the next two games. Sasnouskaya flipped the script in the second set, starting out with a break and a hold for 2-0. Komar would get the break back to even it, 3-3, but Sasnouskaya finished the set on a 3-0 run to force a third. Komar broke in the opening game of that frame and then held on a deuce point for 2-0, and although Sasnouskaya had a deuce-point opportunity to break Komar's next serve, Komar was able to hold for 3-1. The set then stayed on serve until Komar broke for 5-2, but Sasnouskaya broke back and held to get back within 5-4. However, Komar managed to hold her final serve with the last point going in her favor after the official overruled Sasnouskaya's out call on Komar's first serve at 40-15.
Up next, the Longhorns will return to the court to host Kansas State on Sunday, March 24 at 11 a.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center.
#1 Oklahoma St. 4, #7 Texas 3
Singles – Order of Finish (4,2,6,5,3,1)
1. #10 Anastasiya Komar (OSUW) def. #32 Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
2. #4 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSUW) def. #23 Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) 6-2, 6-4
3. Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) def. #65 Lucia Peyre (OSUW) 6-3, 6-2
4. #77 Safiya Carrington (OSUW) def. #111 Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) 6-3, 6-2
5. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. #81 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSUW) 7-5, 6-2
6. Kristina Novak (OSUW) def. Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1)
1. Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) def. #8 Anastasiya Komar/Ange Oby Kajuru (OSUW) 6-4
2. Charlotte Chavatipon/Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) vs. Ayumi Miyamoto/Raquel Gonzalez (OSUW) 3-5
3. Taisiya Pachkaleva/Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) def. Safiya Carrington/Kristina Novak (OSUW) 6-2
Players Mentioned
