Jayhawk doubles team, Ngounoue reach quarterfinals at ITA National Summer Championships

FORT WORTH, Texas – Incoming freshman Sasha Gorchanyuk and rising KU sophomore Malkia Ngounoue competed for the first time as a doubles team over the weekend and made an impact on the court together, making a run to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Summer Championships.

In the Round of 32, Gorchanyuk and Ngounoue beat their opponents, 8-4, to move into the Round of 16. The Jayhawk duo pulled out another 8-4 victory in the Round of 16 over Nebraska’s Claire Reifeis and her Cornhusker teammate, Hayley Haakenstad, to advance to the quarterfinal match. In the Sunday quarterfinal round, KU’s tandem was ousted from the tournament, 8-4, by the team consisting of Ivana Corley from Oklahoma and her partner, Chelsea Kung of Yale.

Ngounoue also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the singles bracket in Fort Worth. The Washington, D.C., native won her first match, 6-1, 6-3, over Catherine Sewanee of The University of the South. In the Round of 32, Ngounoue advanced again with a 6-2, 6-1, victory over Kate Daugherty of Dallas Baptist University. KU’s rising sophomore then bested Kaitlin Staines of Tennessee, 7-5, 6-4, in the Round of 16 to move on to the quarterfinals, where she ultimately ended her winning streak, dropping the match to N.C. State’s Anna Rogers, 6-3, 2-6, 0-1(7). Rogers went on to claim the singles title at the ITA National Summer Championships in Fort Worth with two more wins in the tournament after defeating Ngounoue.

ABOUT ITA SUMMER CIRCUIT POWERED BY UTR 
Following the sixth and final week of competition, the 2019 Oracle ITA Summer Circuit event, wrapped up in Fort Worth, Texas, August 9-13, with the National Summer Championships being hosted by TCU. The circuit opened June 22 at 11 sites throughout the country, with 1,026 players registered to compete. The ITA Summer Circuit is currently made up of 56 events over six-consecutive weekends beginning June 22 and concluded July 29.

The summer circuit was created to provide college players the opportunity to compete in organized events year-round. Although the primary purpose of the circuit is to provide incoming freshman and collegiate players the chance to compete in the summer months, for NCAA compliance purposes, the events are categorized as “open”; therefore, anyone (including high level juniors and adults) is eligible to compete in these events as long as he/she is a current ITA member.