Houston Falls to SMU

HOUSTON – The Houston tennis team dropped its conference finale on Sunday afternoon as it lost 5-1 to No.48 SMU at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.  

Houston (14-6, 3-2 AAC) finishes the season with its most conference victories since the 2018-19 season after only playing one American Athletic Conference match in 2020 before the season cancellation. 

After the Cougars and Mustangs (19-9, 7-1 AAC) split doubles results on courts one and three, all eyes turned towards Phonexay Chitdara and Sophie Gerits battling on court two. Both pairs continued to battle, but ultimately the Mustangs came out on top of the 12-10 tiebreaker.  

With her doubles victory over the 46th-ranked pair in the nation, Mimi Kendall-Woseley has now been part of two doubles upsets this season. Her first came on January 18 as she and Chitdara upset No. 39 Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith 

The lone Cougars victory in singles action belonged to Chitdara who ran through her foe in 6-3, 6-2 straight sets. The victory is the second in the four spot for Chitdara in as many tries this year. 

Both Gerits and Laura Slisane found themselves in individual battles. On court three, Slisane fought in the first set up ultimately fell 7-6 and 6-3, while Gerits fought in the second set. After Slisane's match ended and clinched the SMU victory, Gerits and Hadley Doyle continued their tiebreaker action on court two. Doyle eventually came out on top 12-10. 

Stephanie Belovukovic continued to see action late in the season, but fell in straight sets on court six. Court five saw the only third set as Azul Pedemonti and Claudia Bartolome traded 6-3 sets before Pedemonti led 3-1 in the final stanza. That was the only bout to remain unfinished.

FULL RESULTS  
   
Doubles:          
Mimi Kendall-Woseley/Laura Slisane (UH) def. No.46 Jackie Nylander/Hadley Doyle 7-5 
Chandler Carter/Claudia Bartolome def. Phonexay Chitdara/Sophie Gerits (UH)  7-6 (12-10) 
Nicole Petchey/Winslow Huth def. Azul Pedemonti/Blanca Cortijo Parreno (UH) 6-1 
    
Singles:          
No.90 Jackie Nylander (SMU) def. Kendall-Woseley (UH) 6-0, 6-2 

Hadley Doyle (SMU) def. Gerits (UH) 6-4, 7-6 (12-10)

Slisane (UH) def. Winslow Huth (SMU) 7-6, 6-2

Chitdara (UH) def. Chandler Carter (SMU) 6-3, 6-2 

Azul Pedemonti (UH) vs. Claudia Bartolome (SMU) 3-6, 6-3, 3-1, unfinished

Nicole Petchey (SMU) def. Stephanie Belovukovic (UH) 6-1, 6-1 

Order of Finish   

Doubles: 3, 1, 2  
Singles: 6, 4, 1, 3, 2

UP NEXT    

Houston hits the road for one final time as it travels to Beamont, Texas, for a meeting with Lamar on Wednesday April 14. The Cougars will return home for the regular season finale against Rice on April 17.  

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