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No. 14 Women’s Tennis tops No. 1 Georgia, 4-2
04.11.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns earned their fourth-straight win, and it marked their first win over a No. 1 team since 2022.
Austin, Texas – No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis topped No. 1 Georgia, 4-2, on Friday at the Texas Tennis Center. It was the Longhorns' fourth-straight victory and marked their first win over a No. 1 team since defeating North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals in 2022. It was also just the second loss of the year for the Bulldogs.
Texas clinched the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2 after Georgia had opened with a win at No. 1. The Longhorns followed with a singles victory by freshman No. 74 Eszter Meri at No. 4, and after the Bulldogs picked up wins at Nos. 1 and 2, Texas took it from there with wins by freshmen Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz at No. 5 and No. 93 Ashton Bowers at No. 3 for the clinch.
After doubles, Meri was first off the court with an efficient 6-1, 6-1 top-50 win over No. 42 Aysegul Mert, which was Mert's first dual match loss of the season after starting 14-0. Meri began the match with a deuce-point hold and a 3-0 run, and after Mert held for 3-1, Meri set out on a 7-0 run that included another deuce-point hold for the first set. Meri had been close to sweeping the second set, but Mert got one game on a deuce-point hold before Meri closed it out with a hold and deuce-point break.
Georgia evened the overall match by winning the next two contests at Nos. 1 and 2. Senior No. 56 Sabina Zeynalova returned to the lineup for the first time since March 14 due to injury, but fell to No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 1. Zeynalova broke to open the match, but Vidmanova broke back on a deuce point to start an 8-0 run for the set and a 2-0 lead in the second. After Zeynalova held for 2-1, Vidmanova broke her next serve on a deuce point for a 4-1 lead and the last three games were on serve to her win.
A short time later, freshman No. 32 Carmen Herea was downed by Anastasiia Lopata, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 2. Herea started the match with deuce-point hold and a break for a 2-0 lead. However, like the previous match, Lopata followed the early break with an 8-0 run to take the set and establish a 2-0 lead in the second, picking up deuce-point wins for both 2-2 in the first and 1-0 in the second. Herea got back within 2-1 with a deuce-point hold, but Lopata held and broke again for 4-1. The players then exchanged deuce-point breaks as the last four games were all broken, capped by another at deuce for Lopata for the match.
Despite those two matches going the Bulldogs' way, the Longhorns still found themselves in good positions on the remaining three courts, having won first sets in all of them. Kempenaers-Pocz would be the first to get home with the first ranked singles victory of her early Texas career, 7-6 (3), 6-2, over No. 91 Guillermina Grant at No. 5. Grant broke first for 2-1 and consolidated for 3-1, but Kempenaers-Pocz got the break back for 4-4. Grant later broke again on a deuce point for a 6-5 lead, but Kempenaers-Pocz answered the deuce-point break to get to a tiebreaker. There, Kempenaers-Pocz jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and although Grant responded to tie it, Kempenaers-Pocz finished on a 4-0 run for the set. In the second set, Kempenaers-Pocz broke in the first game to initiate a 5-0 run. Grant kept the match going briefly with a break and a hold for 5-2, but Kempenaers-Pocz served it out in the next game.
The clinch then came from Bowers, who also had won a first-set tiebreaker on the way to her 7-6 (6), 6-3 victory over Mell Reasco at No. 3. After Reasco broke and held for a 2-0 lead, the next four games stayed on serve despite both of Reasco's serves in that stretch reaching deuce. She then broke again for 5-2, but at that point, Bowers set out on a 4-0 run for a 6-5 lead of her own. She had a set point in the next game as it reached deuce, but Reasco managed to hold to get to a tiebreaker. There, Reasco moved out to leads of 3-0 and 5-1, but similar to the rest of the set, Bowers came storming back, winning the next two points and seven of the last eight for an 8-6 win. In the second set, it was Bowers who began with a break and a hold for 2-0. The break would hold up through 5-3 despite deuce points for 4-2 and 4-3, until Bowers broke again on a deuce point for the match, sending her teammates running onto her court.
That left one match unfinished at No. 6 where Vivian Ovrootsky had a set and 5-4 lead, but Sofia Rojas had taken the second set in a tiebreaker and held in the opening game of the third to lead, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 1-0 when play stopped. Ovrootsky broke first in the match for a 3-2 lead, and after Rojas broke back, Ovrootsky broke again on a deuce point for 4-3. This time, she consolidated for a 5-3 lead and then broke for the set. In the second, Rojas broke first on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead, but Ovrootsky broke back for 2-2 and broke again on a deuce point two games later for 4-2. However, Rojas answered the deuce-point break and then held for 4-4. The players held their next serves for 5-5 with Ovrootsky doing so at deuce, and then they both broke to head to a tiebreaker. In the breaker, Rojas pushed out to leads of 3-0 and 5-1, and although Ovrootsky got within 5-3, Rojas closed with the next two points to force a third set.
Earlier in doubles, Georgia had been first off the court with as the No. 24 duo of Bowers and freshman Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo fell to the No. 5 pair of Vidmanova and Reasco, 6-2, at No. 1. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead with a break and a deuce-point hold, and after they held their next serve at deuce, they broke on another deuce point for 4-1. They then consolidated for 5-1, and although the Longhorns held on a deuce point for 5-2, Georgia served out the match after that.
Texas had been broken in the opening games on all three courts, but they broke back in both of the other two matches. No. 3 was the first to finish with Zeynalova and Herea defeating No. 90 Mert and Hayden Mulberry, 6-3. After the Longhorns broke back on a deuce point for 1-1, the next five games were on serve for a 4-3 Texas lead when the Longhorns broke again and served out the match to even doubles.
That turned the attention to No. 2 where Kempenaers-Pocz and freshman Salma Drugdova clinched the point with a 7-5 win over the No. 74 pair Grant and Lopata. The first four games of that match were all breaks until Texas held for a 3-2 lead. Georgia also held and then broke again to lead, 4-3, but the Longhorns broke back and held on a deuce point for 5-4. After the Bulldogs also held, Texas captured consecutive deuce points, breaking in the last game for the win.
Texas (14-9, 8-6 SEC) will next close the regular season against No. 21 South Carolina on Sunday, April 13, at 12 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center. That will also be Senior Day as Sabina Zeynalova and Vivian Ovrootsky will be honored.
#14 Texas 4, #1 Georgia 2
Singles – Order of Finish (4,1,2,5,3)
1. #1 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #56 Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) 6-1, 6-2
2. #55 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. #32 Carmen Herea (TEX) 6-2, 6-3
3. #93 Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. Mell Reasco (UGA) 7-6 (6), 6-3
4. #74 Eszter Meri (TEX) def. #42 Aysegul Mert (UGA) 6-1, 6-1
5. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) def. #91 Guillermina Grant (UGA) 7-6 (3), 6-2
6. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEX) vs. Sofia Rojas (UGA) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 0-1, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3,2)
1. #5 Dasha Vidmanova/Mell Reasco (UGA) def. #24 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo/Ashton Bowers (TEX) 6-2
2. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz/Salma Drugdova (TEX) def. #74 Guillermina Grant/Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) 7-5
3. Sabina Zeynalova/Carmen Herea (TEX) def. #90 Aysegul Mert/Hayden Mulberry (UGA) 6-3
Players Mentioned
