The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
No. 7 Women’s Tennis sweeps Kansas State, 4-0
03.24.2024 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns secured their fifth sweep in seven Big 12 matches this season on Sunday.
Austin – No. 7 Texas Women's Tennis (13-4, 6-1) swept Kansas State (7-8, 1-6), 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. It was the fifth sweep in seven Big 12 matches this season.
The Longhorns took an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1 and went on to receive singles victories from graduate No. 32 Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 1, senior No. 111 Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, and senior Malaika Rapolu at No. 2 to clinch the 4-0 victory.
In doubles, senior Charlotte Chavatipon and and sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky finished first with a 6-3 win over Maria Santos and Vanesa Suarez at No. 2. Kansas State held on deuce points in their first two service games, and both teams stayed on serve until Texas broke to go up, 3-2. Kansas State answered with a break to tie it up at 3-3, but Texas proceeded to go on a 3-0 run and closed out the match with a deuce-point break.
Sasnouskaya and Rapolu then clinched the doubles point for Texas with a 7-5 victory over Veronika Kulhava and Tereza Polakova. Kansas State got out to a fast start and found themselves up 3-1 after a deuce-point break, but Texas answered with a break and a hold to tie things, 3-3. Following that sequence, Kansas State won two of the next three games, each of which went to deuce point. Down 5-4, Texas broke to stay alive and start a 3-0 run to secure the match and clinch the doubles point for the Horns.
Pachkaleva and freshman Shachf Lieberman were in the midst of a tight match against Jillian Harkin and Manami Ukita when play was stopped. After a break, hold and a deuce-point break, Texas found themselves with an early 3-0 lead. However, Kansas State answered with a 4-0 run that included two deuce-point breaks for 3-1 and 3-3. Both teams stayed on serve until Texas broke on a deuce point to go up, 6-5. The Longhorns were serving for the match when play halted.
In singles, Sasnouskaya made quick work of Suarez at No. 1 with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. Sasnouskaya earned a deuce point hold to open the match and proceeded to go up 3-0. Suarez earned a break to make it 3-1, but Sasnouskaya went on a second 3-0 run to close out the first set. In the second set, Suarez broke for 1-0 before Sasnouskaya went on a 4-0 run punctuated by a deuce-point win. Suarez took the next two games to get back within 4-3, but Sasnouskaya took the next two games to close out the set and the match.
Pachkaleva's match against Maralgoo Chogsomjav on court 4 was the next to finish. In the first set, Chogsomjav broke and earned a deuce point hold to go up 2-0 before extending her lead to 4-1. After Chogsomjav went up, 5-3, later in the match, Pachkaleva rose to the challenge with a 4-0 run to take the first set, 7-5. Chogsomjav got out to a fast start once again in the second set and took a 3-1 lead over Pachkaleva after a deuce-point hold, but after Chogsomjav extended to a 4-2 lead, Pachkaleva responded with yet another 4-0 run to take the second set, 6-4.
Seconds after Pachkaleva's win, Rapolu clinched the match for Texas with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Charlotte Keitel. In the first set, Rapolu opened with a 3-0 two-break lead before Keitel earned a deuce-point break for 3-1. Later in the set, Keitel earned another deuce-point break for 5-3, but Rapolu broke right back and took the first set, 6-3. In the second set, both players held to open, but Rapolu found some momentum and went on a 4-0 run that was punctuated by a deuce-point break to go up, 5-1. Keitel managed to get one game back, but Rapolu closed things out on the ensuing game and took the match and the overall win for Texas.
The three remaining matches with Chavatipon, Ovrootsky and Lieberman all went unfinished. On No. 3, Chavatipon won four straight deuce points against Kulhava to open the first set, 4-0, and earned another deuce-point hold for 5-1. However, Kulhava answered with a big 4-0 run for 5-5 before Chavatipon managed to win the next two games and take the first set, 7-5. Chavatipon was leading 3-1 in the second set when play was stopped.
On No. 5, Ovrootsky dropped the first set to Polakova, 6-3, in what was Kansas State's only set victory across the board. In the second set, Ovrootsky had just earned a deuce-point hold and a break to go up, 4-3, when play halted.
On No. 6, Lieberman won 3-of-3 deuce points in the first set as part of her 6-2 win. In the second set, Lieberman was trailing, 3-1, but had just earned a deuce-point hold to make it 3-2 when Texas clinched.
The Longhorns next return to the road for matches at No. 50 Kansas on Thursday, March 28, at 5 p.m. CT, and at Iowa State on Saturday, March 30, at 11 a.m. CT.
#7 Texas 4, Kansas State 0
Singles – Order of Finish (1,4,2)
1. #32 Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) def. Vanesa Suarez (KSU) 6-1, 6-3
2. #23 Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) def. Charlotte Keitel (KSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) vs. Veronika Kulhava (KSU) 7-5, 3-1, unf.
4. #111 Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) def. Maralgoo Chogsomjav (KSU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) vs. Tereza Polakova (KSU) 3-6, 4-3, unf.
6. Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) vs. Maria Santos (KSU) 6-2, 2-3, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,1)
1. Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) def. Veronika Kulhava/Tereza Polakova (KSU) 7-5
2. Charlotte Chavatipon/Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. Maria Santos/Vanesa Suarez (KSU) 6-3
3. Shachf Lieberman/Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) vs. Jillian Harkin/Manami Ukita (KSU) 6-5, unf.
Players Mentioned
