Jayhawks open facility with 6-1 win over SLU

Anastasia Rychagova returned a point during her 6-0, 6-0 No. 1 singles win.

Kansas 6, Saint Louis 1
Jayhawk Tennis Center
at Rock Chalk Park

January 20, 2017

 DOUBLES

No. 1 Khmelnitckaia/Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. E. Tchakarova/V. Tchakarova (SLU) 6-4
No. 2 Koch/Rychagova (KU) vs.  Cervin/Rojo (SLU) 6-1
No. 3 Toran Ribes/Nikolaeva (KU) def. C. McKenzie/A. McKenzie (SLU) 6-3

Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1

 SINGLES

No. 1 Rychagova (KU) vs. Cervin (SLU) 6-0, 6-0
No. 2 Koch (KU) def. E. Tchakarova (SLU) 6-1, 6-4
No. 3 Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. V. Tchakarova (SLU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. C. McKenzie (SLU) 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 Toran Ribes (KU) def. A. McKenzie (SLU) 3-6, 6-0, 10-3
No. 6 Rojo (SLU) def. Nikolaeva (KU) 6-4, 1-6, 10-4

Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5, 6
 Video Highlights
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Stats Box Score (.PDF)

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomores Janet Koch and Anastasia Rychagova dominated the spring opener to lead Kansas to a 6-1 win over Saint Louis Friday to officially open the Jayhawk Tennis Center in front of 320 fans.
 
“Being out here in front of everybody and playing, I think it was great,” said head coach Todd Chapman. “Saint Louis competed well and pushed us in some spots for sure and made us beat them. Nastia (Rychagova) played really clean tennis and took care of her business. When she got up, she ran with it.”
 
Koch and Rychagova paired up to notch a doubles win over Saint Louis’ Aspen Cervin and Mariluz Rojo Domingo, 6-1. Rychagova played at No. 1 singles and was the first to finish, beating Cervin 6-0, 6-0. Koch, playing at the No. 2 spot, put KU up 3-0 after topping Eleonore Tchakarova 6-1, 6-4.
 
Nina Khmelnitckaia clinched the match victory with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles against Cassie McKenzie. Khmelnitckaia paired with Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum to top Eleonore and Verginie Tchakarova, 6-4. In singles, Bernard-Feigenbaum fell behind 3-0 in the first set, but rallied with wins in 11-straight games to beat Verginie Tchakarova, 6-3, 6-2.
 
“Janet and Nina both did a really good job controlling momentum in their first sets after the first game or two,” said Chapman. “Tess, after the first three games, did the same thing as well. Those three coming out and quickly gaining first sets pretty handily is always a good sign especially in the first match of the year.”
 
Freshmen Maria Toran Ribes and Tatiana “Tanya” Nikolaeva teamed up to defeat Cassie McKenzie and Ally McKenzie, 6-3. Toran Ribes came back to top Ally McKenzie after losing the first set, 3-6, 6-0, 10-3. Nikolaeva was not able to top Mariluz Rojo Domingo dropping the match, 4-6, 6-1, 10-4.
 
“The big thing I talked to Maria about after the match was that you’re going to have moments and periods where you’re nervous,” said Chapman, “Remember what you did to calm yourself and to allow yourself to start playing the way you know you’re capable of. I’m glad we had to work through some nerves and hopefully that helps us prepare for our match against Clemson next Friday.”
 
The Jayhawks will travel to Nashville, Tenn., for a four-team tournament with Clemson and Virginia Tech, hosted by Vanderbilt. Kansas will open up by playing Clemson January 27.
 
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