No. 10 Kansas drops Big 12 opener to No. 11 Oklahoma State
STILLWATER, Okla. – The 11th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls ruined 10th-ranked Kansas tennis’ 2019 Big 12 Conference opener Friday, beating the Jayhawks, 6-1, at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
The Jayhawks’ Anastasia Rychagova, ranked 34th in the country, brought home KU’s only point of the match, beating No. 26-ranked Katarina Stresnakova, 6-3, 6-0, at first singles.
In doubles, Kanas’ Janet Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia, ranked No. 2 in the country, defeated No. 39 Sofia Blanco and Lisa Marie Rioux, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles.
But the Cowgirls’ Marina Guinart and Stresnakova beat the Jayhawks’ No. 40-ranked Rychagova and Sonia Smagina, 6-2, at second doubles. Oklahoma State then won the doubles point when KU’s Maria Toran Ribes and Malkia Ngounoue fell to Bunyawi Thamchaiwat and Tamara Arnold at third doubles. It was the first time this season (in 12 matches) that KU dropped the doubles point.
The Cowgirls won the rest of the singles matches as well. Rioux, No. 117 in the nation, beat No. 88-ranked Koch at second singles, 6-2, 6-3. Thamchaiwat bested Khmelnitckaia on court three, 6-4, 4-6, and 10-6 in the super tiebreaker. No. 83-ranked Guinart beat KU’s Smagina, 6-3, 6-0, on court four; Blanco (No. 124) defeated Toran Ribes at fifth singles, 6-2, 6-3, and Arnold beat Ngounoue, 6-3, 6-2, on court six.
QUOTES
Kansas head coach Todd Chapman
“Credit to OSU. I thought they played a clean match and deserved the win.”
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks, now 9-3 (0-1 Big 12) travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to face No. 30 Oklahoma Sunday at noon.
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