Kansas Tennis goes 8-1 on final day in Maui
LAHAINA, Hawaii – For the second-straight day, the Kansas tennis team swept doubles pairs from Hawaii and Washington State, but Saturday the Jayhawks also added its best singles performance of the three-day Hawaii Spring Invitational to close the event by claiming five of their six singles matches at the Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch on the island of Maui.
“(Saturday) was the most complete day of the tournament as a team,” head coach Todd Chapman said. “It is always the goal to get better as the tournament goes on and that is what the girls did this week. We definitely improved this week. Winning is a byproduct of the process of development and that will continue to be our focus moving forward. We now look forward to getting home and preparing for our season opener at home.”
Sophomore Anastasia Rychagova, ranked No. 65 nationally, was perfect Saturday after dropping Hawaii’s Cindy Nguyen, 6-4, 6-4, in singles play. Rychagova started the day teaming up with fellow sophomore Janet Koch to defeat Hawaii’s Michelle Pits and Alzbeta Houbova, 6-3. Koch also notched a perfect day with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Washington State’s Barbora Michalkova.
Senior transfer Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum claimed her second singles victory of the invitational after downing Hawaii’s Roxanne Resma, 6-1, 6-1. Bernard-Feigenbaum also paired with Nina Khmelnitckaia for a 7-5 win over UH’s Petra Melounova and Roxanne Resma. Khmelnitckaia claimed victory in singles play as well. The KU sophomore battled WSU’s Victoria Matejevic to a 7-5, 7-6 (4) victory.
Freshman Maria Toran Ribes added the Jayhawk win total with her 6-1, 6-0 rout of Hawaii’s Sophia Storch. Prior to singles play, Toran Ribes with another KU freshman, Tatiana Nikolaeva, to down WSU’s Michalkova and Guzal Yusupova, 7-6 (5). Nikolaeva was unable to complete the entire Jayhawk sweep, as she fell 7-5, 7-6 (6) in her singles match against Aneta Miksovska of Washington State.
The Jayhawks open their dual season and will debut the new Jayhawk Tennis Center at Rock Chalk Park January 20, when Kansas hosts Saint Louis. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
Hawaii Spring Invitational – Day 3 Results
Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch – Lahaina, Maui
Jan. 7, 2017
Doubles
Nina Khmelnitckaia/Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. Petra Melounova/Roxanne Resma (UH), 7-5
Anastasia Rychagova/Janet Koch (KU) def. Michelle Pits/Alzbeta Houbova (UH), 6-3
Maria Toran Ribes/Tatiana Nikolaeva (KU) def. Barbora Michalkova/Guzal Yusupova (WSU), 7-6 (5)
Singles
No. 65 Anastasia Rychagova (KU) def. Cindy Nguyen (UH), 6-4, 6-4
Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. Roxanne Resma (UH), 6-1, 6-1
Maria Toran Ribes (KU) def. Sophia Storch (UH), 6-1, 6-0
Janet Koch (KU) def. Barbora Michalkova (WSU), 6-2, 6-4
Aneta Miksovska (WSU) def. Tatiana Nikolaeva (KU), 7-5, 7-6 (6)
Nina Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. Victoria Matejevic (WSU), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
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