Jayhawks Sharp on First Day of Action at 2015 ITA Central Regionals
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas women’s tennis opened the 2015 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Regionals with a bang as the Jayhawks won 5-of-6 opening round matches in singles play and went 3-2 in doubles action Thursday afternoon in Stillwater, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State’s Greenwood Tennis Center.
“All in all, today was a successful day,” said Kansas head coach Todd Chapman. “We won eight of our 11 matches. I am like most coaches, in that I feel like we left a couple matches out there that I thought we could have won. We are excited to have five out of six still in the main draw of singles. Tomorrow things are going to be much more difficult, so we need to be prepared to raise our level of play.”
A pair of freshmen got the Jayhawks off to a good start in doubles play as Janet Koch and Anastasiya Rychagova picked up back-to-back doubles wins. Koch and Rychagova knocked off Summer Brills and Adrienne Jensen of Drake, 8-6, in their opening round match. They then defeated Anastasia Reimchen and Annette Dohanics of Iowa, 8-6, to advance to the round of 16.
Senior Maria Jose Cardona and freshman Nina Khmelnitckaia posted an 8-5 win over Monique Krutak and Madeline Hill of SIU-Edwardsville in the opening round of play. The duo then dropped an 8-5 match to Kelli Hine and Bea Machado Santos of Missouri.
In singles play, KU’s three freshmen and two sophomores all tallied first-round wins. Khmelnitckaia defeated Vasanti Shinde of Nebraska, 6-3, 6-1, Koch came-from-behind to defeat Shelby King of Arkansas State, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 and Rychagova dispatched Anne Marie Emme of Minnesota, 6-2, 6-4.
Sophomore Summer Collins was victorious over Anelisse Torrica of Missouri State, 6-3, 6-4, while fellow second-year player Smith Hinton beat Iowa’s Zoe Douglas, 6-4, 6-3.
Kansas will return to action at the Greenwood Tennis Center Friday at 9 a.m. Results can be found at KUAthletics.com or by following on Twitter at @KansasTennis.
ITA Central Regionals Results
Singles Main Draw
First Round
Nina Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. Vasanti Shinde (NU), 6-3, 6-1
Janet Koch (KU) def. Shelby King (ASU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Clare Raley (MU) def. Maria Jose Cardona (KU), 6-3, 7-6
Summer Collins (KU) def. Anelisse Torrico (MSU), 6-3, 6-4
Smith Hinton (KU) def. Zoe Douglas (IOWA), 6-4, 6-3
Anastasiya Rychagova (KU) def. Anne Marie Emme (MINN), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles Main Draw
First Round
Pump/Thongsing (WSU) def. Collins/Hinton (KU), 8-4
Koch/Rychagova (KU) def. Brills/Jensen (DRAKE), 8-6
Cardona/Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. Krutak/Hill (SIUE), 8-5
Second Round
Koch/Rychagova (KU) def. Reimchen/Dohanics (IOWA), 8-6
Hine/Santos (MU) def. Cardona/Khmelnitckaia (KU), 8-5
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