Jayhawks send four to ITA All-American
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head coach Todd Chapman continues to showcase milestones of the Kansas tennis program’s elevation on the national stage, as four Jayhawks have been selected to participate in the prestigious Riviera ITA Women’s All-American Championship at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, California for the first time since 2007. The entire event runs from October 1-9.
Senior transfer Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum and sophomores Nina Khmelnitckaia, Janet Koch and Anastasia Rychagova will compete at varying stages of the event. Ranked No. 50 in singles and coming off the 2016 Little Rock Invitational Flight A singles title with a perfect 3-0 mark, Rychagova earned an automatic bid in the singles qualifying bracket.
With a No. 56 preseason ranking, Khmelnitckaia and Koch earned a spot in the doubles qualifying bracket. Bernard-Feigenbaum and Rychagova will also compete on the doubles side, but will have to start in the pre-qualifying bracket. Bernard-Feigenbaum and Koch will each be a part of the pre-qualifying singles draw. In the pre-qualifying brackets, teams or individuals, must post three-straight victories to advance to the qualifying draw.
“I think it’s a great honor. It’s an example of where the program is going,” Chapman said. “The girls have earned this opportunity. That’s the most exciting part is they had to put in a lot of hard work in the past for this opportunity to come up so we’re excited for them.
“It’s a chance to go out and play against the best players in the country. Hopefully we can enjoy the experience, but also have some success along the way.”
Prequalifying will take place on October 1 and 2, while qualifying play runs on October 4 and 5. The main draw is slated to start October 6.
Former Kansas players Elizaveta Avdeeva and Edina Horvath were the last Jayhawks to participate in the 2007 Riveria ITA All-American Championship. The duo was selected to the qualifying draw of the doubles bracket, while Avdeeva was also picked to compete in the pre-qualifying singles draw.
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