🎾 Tennis Ranked No. 25 in Preseason Rankings

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas tennis team is slotted in at No. 25 in the preseason ITA Top 25 rankings released Thursday morning.

The Jayhawks, who finished the 2019-20 season at No. 31, went 7-4 last year in an abbreviated season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coach Todd Chapman’s team has already had a strong start to its 2021 season, opening play this week at the Pac-12/Big 12 Dual in Arlington, Texas.

In addition to the team being ranked No. 25, Sonia Smagina came in at No. 81 in the individual rankings, while the doubles team of Malkia Ngounoue and Carmen Roxana Manu is ranked No. 49 in the preseason rankings.

Smagina went 7-4 last year for the Jayhawks, playing all of her matches in the No. 1 slot. She notched three wins against nationally ranked opponents and won her final match of the season.

Ngounoue and Manu both had strong seasons last year, and will join forces this year as a doubles team. Ngounoue went 6-5 in doubles last year and 3-0 playing in the No. 2 spot. She picked up a pair of wins over nationally ranked teams. Manu went 3-4 in doubles last year and 7-4 in singles, winning her final five matches of the season.

Kansas returns to action on Jan. 23 at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend against UCLA.