The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Boise State
No. 14 Women’s Tennis advances to NCAA Sweet 16
05.03.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns swept Boise State, 4-0, on Saturday to move on to the round of 16 for the fifth-straight year.
Austin, Texas – No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 4-0 sweep of Boise State on Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center.
It marks the fifth-straight year and the sixth time in the last seven the Longhorns have reached the round of 16. They will next travel to face No. 3 Michigan in the Ann Arbor Super Regional on Saturday, May 10, at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT.
Texas secured the doubles point with a 6-0 sweep at No. 2 and a 6-3 win at No. 1 before notching victories by freshman No. 73 Eszter Meri at No. 3, junior Vivian Ovrootsy at No. 6, and freshman No. 93 Ashton Bowers at No. 4.
After doubles, Meri quickly produced a 6-0, 6-0 sweep over Bhakti Shah that saw only three games reach deuce, all in the second set during Shah's service games.
Ovrootsky followed later with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Masa Viriant at No. 6 for a 3-0 overall lead. Ovootsky was the first to break in the match for a 3-1 lead, however Viriant broke back on a deuce point. Ovrootsky broke again for 4-2, and this time consolidated for 5-2 before the last two games were both held for her 6-3 win. In the second set, the first three games were all breaks, including one at deuce for Viriant, until Ovrootsky held for a 3-1 lead. Viriant also held for 3-2, but Ovrootsky closed the match on a 3-0 run that included a deuce-point break.
The clinch then came from Bowers with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Paula Schaefer at No. 4. After the players exchanged deuce-point breaks to start the match, Schaefer held for a 2-1 lead. However, Bowers took the set from there with a 5-0 run, including deuce-point holds for 4-2 and 6-2. In the second set, Schaefer got out to a 2-0 lead with a hold and a break, but Bowers broke back and held to even it. Schaefer picked up the next game on a hold, but again, Bowers put together a run to finish a set, this time 4-0, to send Texas to the Sweet 16.
That left three matches unfinished, starting with senior No. 45 Sabina Zeynalova, who had a 7-5, 3-1 lead over Zdena Safarova at No. 1. The match began with Safarova holding on a deuce point, but Zeynalova followed with a 3-0 run. The next three games were then on serve with the last being a deuce-point hold for Safarova. She then broke and consolidated it for a 5-4 lead. However, Zeynalova controlled the rest of the match, winning all five games before play stopped. That included taking the first set on a deuce-point hold and starting the second with a deuce-point break.
Freshman No. 38 Carmen Herea was also up a set, 6-2, 5-5, against Maya Dutta at No. 2. The first three games of the match were on serve with Dutta holding on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead, but Herea set out on a 5-0 run for the set, which she capped with a deuce-point hold. Six of the 10 games of the second set reached deuce, however the first seven games stayed on serve for a 4-3 lead for Dutta despite three deuce-points in that span. Dutta then came through with the first break, which came on a deuce point for 5-3, but Herea won consecutive deuce points to break back and hold for 5-5 before play halted.
The other match at No. 5 was the only one to reach three sets, as freshman No. 78 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo had split sets with Ariadna Briones Ginesta, but was trailing, 4-6, 6-1, 0-1. Anazagasty-Pursoo moved out to a 2-0 lead with a break and hold, but Briones Ginesta used a deuce-point hold to start a 4-0 run. Anazagasty-Pursoo responded with consecutive deuce-point wins to even it, but Briones Ginesta was able to collect the last two games for the set. The second set belonged to Anazagasty-Pursoo, who broke in the first game, and although Briones Ginesta broke back, Anazagasty-Pursoo set out on a 5-0 run for the set. Briones Ginesta then picked up a break in the first game of the third set before play concluded.
Earlier in doubles, the freshman No. 73 duo of Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Salma Drugdova got things started with a 6-0 sweep of Ryan Kerschner and Lorelyz Marruffo at No 2. Only two games reached deuce, which the Longhorns broke on both for 1-0 and 5-0.
The No. 26 pair of Anazagasty-Pursoo and Bowers then clinched doubles with a 6-3 victory over Safarova and Dutta at No. 1. Texas opened the match with a deuce-point hold and later broke first on a deuce point for 4-2. They consolidated the break with another hold at deuce for 5-2, and after Boise State also held, the Longhorns served out the match.
In the remaining contest, Zeynalova and Herea had a 5-3 lead over Shah and Schaefer at No. 3. Texas broke and held on a deuce point to start with a 2-0 lead, but Boise State held and broke back at deuce to even it. The next three games were all breaks with the Longhorns doing so at deuce for a 4-3 lead before holding for 5-3 in the last game before play stopped.
#14 Texas 4, #70 Boise State 0
Singles – Order of Finish (3,6,4)
1. #45 Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) vs. Zdena Safarova (BOI) 7-5, 3-1, unf.
2. #38 Carmen Herea (TEX) vs. Maya Dutta (BOI) 6-2, 5-5, unf.
3. #73 Eszter Meri (TEX) def. Bhakti Shah (BOI) 6-0, 6-0
4. #92 Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. Paula Schaefer (BOI) 6-2, 6-3
5. #78 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEX) vs. Ari Briones Ginesta (BOI) 4-6, 6-1, 0-1, unf.
6. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEX) def. Masa Viriant (BOI) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,1)
1. #26 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo/Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. Zdena Safarova/Maya Dutta (BOI) 6-3
2. #73 Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz/Salma Drugdova (TEX) def. Ryan Kershner/Lorelyz Marruffo (BOI) 6-0
3. Sabina Zeynalova/Carmen Herea (TEX) vs. Bhakti Shah/Paula Schaefer (BOI) 5-3, unf.
Players Mentioned
