No. 20 Kansas advances to Big 12 Championship semifinals with 4-1 victory over TCU
The Jayhawks are now 17-4 on the season and a perfect 12-0 at home.
At No. 3 doubles, Maria Toran Ribes and Malkia Ngounoue smashed their way past Mercedes Aristegui and Kate Paulus, 6-1. Seniors Janet Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia, ranked No. 3 in the nation in doubles, then stormed past TCU’s Ellie Douglas and Aleksa Cveticanin at No. 1 doubles, 6-3, giving Kansas the doubles point.
The match on court 2 between KU’s No. 73-ranked doubles team of Anastasia Rychagova and Sonia Smagina and the Horned Frogs’ Chloe Hule and Stevie Kennedy went unfinished after Kansas claimed the doubles point.
Kansas has now won the doubles point in 20 out of 21 dual matches this season. The Jayhawks opened the 2019 season by securing the doubles point in 11-straight matches, and now have another win streak of nine in a row.
In singles, Khmelnitckaia bested Hule at No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-3, giving KU a 2-0 lead.
On court 2, Koch, ranked No. 104 in the nation, fell to Cveticanin, 6-4, 6-4, bringing the Horned Frogs within a point at 2-1.
At No. 6 singles, Toran Ribes defeated Kennedy, 7-5, 6-4, bringing the Jayhawks one point away from the win.
Smagina then triumphed over Paulus at No. 4 singles, 7-6(5), 6-3, giving Kansas the victory.
After Smagina claimed the Kansas win, the matches on courts 1 and 3, which were both in the third set, went unfinished.
QUOTES
Head coach Todd Chapman
“Today’s match was the battle we expected. TCU is a very talented team that was playing for their postseason life. Anytime you combine those two things, you are playing a dangerous opponent. We are excited to be the situation we are, so tomorrow should be fun.”
UP NEXT
Kansas tennis advances to the Big 12 Championship semifinals Saturday, April 19, at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. The No. 3-seeded Jayhawks will face off against No. 2-seeded, and No. 12 in the nation, Oklahoma State, at 3 p.m.
