No. 7 Kansas sweeps Oregon, 7-0
EUGENE, Ore. – No. 7 Kansas tennis rebounded from Friday night’s tough loss at No. 22 Washington to blank Oregon, 7-0, Sunday afternoon at the Student Tennis Center.
The win moves Kansas’ record to 9-2 as it completes nonconference play; the Jayhawks now move on to the Big 12 Conference portion of the 2019 season.
Kanas’ No. 3-ranked doubles tandem of Janet Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia defeated Daniela Nasser and Paiton Wagner, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles. The Jayhawks’ No. 51-ranked doubles duo, Anastasia Rychagova and Sonia Smagina, then bested Allison Mulville and Rifanty Kahfiani, 6-3, giving KU the doubles point. Sunday’s doubles win keeps the Jayhawks perfect in doubles this year: 11 dual matches, 11 doubles points.
The Jayhawks’ No. 39-ranked doubles pair of Maria Toran Ribes and Malkia Ngonoue’s match against Julia Eshet and Taryn Fujimori ended unfinished with the score tied, 5-5, after Kansas had already secured the doubles point.
At No. 6 singles, Ngounoue won by forfeit, extending the Kansas lead to 2-0.
On court 5, Smagina bested Fujimori, 6-4, 6-2, giving KU a 3-0 lead.
No. 79-ranked Koch clinched the match at No. 2 singles, beating Kahfiani, 6-1, 7-5.
After Kansas secured the victory the teams played on, and at No. 1 singles No. 49-ranked Rychagova triumphed over Nasser, 6-1, 6-4.
No. 3 singles came down to a third set super-tiebreaker as Plobrung Plipuech bested Wagner, 6-2, 5-7, 10-7, moving the Jayhawks one point away from the sweep.
After falling in her first set at No. 4 singles, Khmelnitckaia fought back to defeat Mulville, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, giving Kansas its fourth sweep on the season.
QUOTES
Kansas head coach Todd Chapman
“Today marks the end of a successful nonconference schedule. We now have a week to prepare for the start of Big 12 Conference play and the second half of our season.”
UP NEXT
Kansas tennis begins Big 12 Conference play Friday, March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, against Oklahoma State. This will mark the second meeting of the season between the two programs; Oklahoma State claimed the first matchup, 4-3, during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in January.
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