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No. 7 Women’s Tennis falls at No. 17 USC, 4-3
01.17.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns came up just short in their season opener, but earned three top-50 individual wins during the match.
Los Angeles – No. 7 Women's Tennis came up just short, 4-3, at No. 17 USC in Los Angeles on Friday in the 2025 season opener, however the Longhorns earned three individual wins against top-50 opponents during the match.
The ranked wins were led by a top-10 doubles victory for senior Sabina Zeynalova and freshman Ashton Bowers over the No. 7 pair of Grace Piper and Lily Fairclough at No. 1. Meanwhile, Zeynalova also defeated No. 37 Piper at No. 1 singles, and freshman Eszter Meri topped No. 45 Emma Charney at No. 2 singles. The other singles win came from junior No. 95 Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6 singles. Despite the win at No. 1 doubles, USC had taken the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, and then collected singles wins at Nos. 5, 3 and 4 to clinch the overall match.
Doubles began with the duo of Meri and freshman Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo falling to Charney and Parker Fry, 6-2, at No. 3. USC opened the match with a deuce-point break to begin with a 4-0 run, and the rest of the match stayed on serve to the finish.
Zeynalova and Bowers evened doubles play with their 6-3 win over Piper and Fairclough with the match staying on serve to 3-3 despite Texas winning its first two service games on deuce points. However, the Longhorns would also win two more games on deuce points, this time both for breaks for a 4-3 lead and for the match as part of a 3-0 run to close it out.
That left the deciding match at No. 2 where freshmen Carmen Herea and Salma Drugdova partnered for the first time, but were downed by Sloane Morra and Jana Hossam, 6-4. Both teams opened with a deuce-point hold, starting with the Longhorns, but the next three games were all breaks, leaving the Trojans with a 3-2 lead. USC would then hold and break again for 5-2, and although Texas fought back with a break and a deuce-point hold to get within 5-4, the Trojans served out the final game to claim the win and the doubles point.
In singles, No. 44 Anazagasty-Pursoo produced a hard-fought match, but was downed by Hossam, 6-4, 7-5. Hossam took the first two games, including a deuce-point break in the second of those, but Anazagasty-Pursoo stormed back with four-straight for the lead. She had a chance to make it five with the next game going to deuce, but Hossam was able to hold and start her own 4-0 run for the set. In the second, Anazagasty-Pursoo was the first to break for a 2-1 lead, but Hossam answered with a deuce-point break and a hold to regain the lead. Anazagasty-Pursoo's next service game also went to deuce, but she held to tie it again, 3-3. After the players exchanged 2-0 runs starting with Hossam, the final two games went to deuce with Hossam able to claim both for the win and 2-0 overall lead for USC.
Ovrootsky was next off the singles court and first on the scoreboard for Texas with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Maia Sung. In a remarkable set where eight of the nine games were breaks, Ovrootsky opened with one, and the next four games all followed suit with all doing so on deuce points for a 3-2 lead for her. The next two games were also breaks, leaving her with a 4-3 advantage when she finally halted the streak on a deuce point hold for 5-3 and then broke again for 6-3. Sung started the second set with none other than a deuce-point break, but then also secured a deuce-point hold for a 2-0 lead. However, it was all Ovrootsky from there as she set out on a 6-0 run for the win that included a deuce-point hold that gave her a 3-2 lead.
At that point, USC was able to pick up the next two singles matches to clinch, starting with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 decision by Fairclough over No. 65 Bowers. Despite Bowers securing a break to open the match, Fairclough went on a 4-0 run that included a deuce-point hold for 2-1. After Bowers held for 4-2, she had a chance to get the match back on serve, but Fairclough avoided a potential deuce-point break for a hold and then broke for the set. The second set, however, belonged to Bowers as she started on a 4-0 run that she capped with a deuce-point hold. Fairclough got one game back on serve, but Bowers secured the set from there with a hold and break. That sent it to a third set, where the players exchanged breaks, starting with Fairclough, and then exchanged holds, making the score, 2-2. Fairclough moved back in front with a break and a deuce-point hold for 4-2, and although Bowers held for 4-3, Fairclough took the last two games for the win.
The clinch then came at No. 4 where No. 28 Herea couldn't quite overcome No. 57 Haddad in two close sets. Haddad established a 3-0 lead to start the match based on two deuce-point holds, however Herea got the break back as part of her own 3-0 run to even it. The players each produced deuce-point holds as the next four games stayed on serve for 5-5. Herea then took the lead with a break, but Haddad was able to answer it to go to a tiebreaker. There, Haddad pushed out to a 3-0 lead, which she maintained to a 7-4 win. In the second set, Haddad broke first for a 2-1 lead, but Herea broke back on a deuce point. Haddad would again be the next to break for 4-3, which this time she consolidated for 5-3. Herea later got the break back for 5-5, but Haddad broke again on a deuce point for 6-5 and then served out the match.
The teams then played out the rest of the match where the Longhorns secured two top-50 singles wins that started with Zeynalova rallying against Piper, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. After an opening hold by Piper, the next five games were all breaks with the middle three of those at deuce. That left Piper up, 4-2, and the remaining three games stayed on serve to her 6-3 win. In the second set, the first three games were on serve starting with Zeynalova until Piper broke and held on deuce points and completed a 3-0 run with another break for a 4-2 lead. However, the rest of the set belonged to Zeynalova who closed it on a 4-0 run, including key deuce point wins for a break for 4-4 and a hold for a 5-4 lead. Piper would start the third set with a break and hold for 2-0, but again, it was Zeynalova the rest of the way as she set out on a 6-0 run to the win.
That left the action at No. 2 where Meri had gotten a few points into a third set superbreaker that she would eventually emerge from for a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 1-0 (7) victory over Charney. After Meri moved out to a 3-0 lead with a deuce-point hold, Charney also held at deuce for 3-1. Much like Zeynalova's first set, there were then five-straight breaks, the second and third of which were at deuce, leaving Meri with a 5-4 lead. Charney snapped the streak with a hold for 5-5, and the last two games were also on serve to the tiebreaker. In the breaker, Charney collected a mini-break on the first point on the way to a 3-0 lead. The players then alternated points to 5-3, and although Meri twice got to within one at 5-4 and 6-5, Charney got the final point to win, 7-5. The first three games of the second set were all breaks with Charney's only win coming on a deuce point. That gave Meri a 2-1 lead that she consolidated with a hold for 3-1. Charney also held for 3-2, but Meri took it from there for the 6-2 win. With play on the other courts nearing completion, the match went to a superbreaker where Meri quickly moved out to a 5-1 lead. Although Charney came back with a 4-0 run to tie it and then took her own 7-6 lead, Meri regrouped to capture the last four points and the win for the 4-3 overall final score.
Texas next returns home to host the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Texas Tennis Center where the Longhorns will first play Maryland at 12 p.m. CT on Friday, January 24, and then face either Baylor or BYU on Saturday, January 25, at 3 p.m. CT.
#17 USC 4, #7 Texas 3
Singles – Order of Finish (5,6,3,4,1,2)
1. Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) def. #37 Grace Piper (USC) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Eszter Meri (TEX) def. #45 Emma Charney (USC) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)
3. Lily Fairclough (USC) def. #65 Ashton Bowers (TEX) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
4. #57 Immi Haddad (USC) def. #28 Carmen Herea (TEX) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
5. Jana Hossam (USC) def. #44 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEX) 6-4, 7-5
6. #95 Vivian Ovrootsky (TEX) def. Maia Sung (USC) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1,2)
1. Sabina Zeynalova/Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. #7 Grace Piper/Lily Fairclough (USC) 6-3
2. Sloane Morra/Jana Hossam (USC) def. Carmen Herea/Salma Drugdova (TEX) 6-4
3. Emma Charney/Parker Fry (USC) def. Eszter Meri/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEX) 6-2
Players Mentioned
