AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 1 University of Texas Women's Tennis team (1-0) opened its 2022 dual-match season with a 7-0 sweep of Texas State (0-2) on Sunday afternoon at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns earned the doubles point and claimed straight-set wins in all six singles matches to win in dominant fashion.
Texas claimed a 1-0 lead by quickly taking the doubles point. The sophomore tandem of Peyton Stearns and Charlotte Chavatipon won the last four games of their match to close out a 6-1 win on court 1 against Hana Kvapilova and Sofia Fortuno. UT's freshman pair of Sabina Zeynalova and Vivian Ovrootsky followed immediately with a 6-0 shutout victory on court 3 over Mae McCutcheon and Maria Lora to clinch the doubles point.
In singles action, freshman Bella Zamarripa won the first nine games and cruised to an impressive 6-0, 6-1 win on court 6 against Jadeh Chan. Chavatipon won the final nine games of her match to finish out a 6-2, 6-0 victory on court 2 over Kate Malazonia. Zeynalova claimed the last 11 games of her contest to clinch the dual-match win for the Longhorns by posting a 6-1, 6-0 victory on court 4 against Fortuno.
Stearns, an ITA singles All-American in 2021, registered a 6-1, 6-3 victory on court 1 over Kvapilova. Stearns faced a 2-1 deficit in the second set before winning five of the next six games to finish out her win. Sophomore Malaika Rapolu, No. 117 in the latest ITA singles rankings, raced out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set and built a 4-1 cushion in the second set en route to posting a 6-2, 6-2 win on court 5 against Lora.
Ovrootsky then completed the sweep with a 7-5, 6-2 victory on court 3 over McCutcheon. Tied at 5-5 in the opening set, Ovrootsky broke McCutcheon and then held serve on a deuce point to win the first set. Ovrootsky jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set and cruised to her victory.
Texas returns to action when it hosts the ITA Kick-off Weekend on Jan. 28-29 (Friday-Saturday) at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns will face Florida Atlantic at 11 a.m. Central on Friday, Jan. 28. Texas will then meet either SMU or Rice at 2 p.m. Central on Saturday, Jan. 29.
#1 Texas 7, Texas State 0
Singles – Order of finish (6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3)
- Peyton Stearns (UT) def. Hana Kvapilova (TxSt), 6-1, 6-3
- Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Kate Malazonia (TxSt), 6-2, 6-0
- Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Mae McCutcheon (TxSt), 7-5, 6-2
- Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Sofia Fortuno (TxSt), 6-1, 6-0
- #117 Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Maria Lora (TxSt), 6-2, 6-2
- Bella Zamarripa (UT) def. Jadeh Chan (TxSt), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles – Order of finish (1, 3)
- Peyton Stearns/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Hana Kvapilova/Sofia Fortuno (TxSt), 6-1
- Allura Zamarripa/Bella Zamarripa (UT) vs. Kate Malazonia/Jadeh Chan (TxSt), 4-3 (unfinished)
- Sabina Zeynalova/Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Mae McCutcheon/Maria Lora (TxSt), 6-0
