No. 7 Women’s Tennis preview: Cincinnati – University of Texas Athletics – University of Texas Athletics
No. 7 Women’s Tennis preview: Cincinnati
No. 7 Texas vs. Cincinnati
When: Sunday, March 10, 2024, 11 a.m. CT
Where: Texas Tennis Center, Austin, Texas
Team Records: Texas (9-3, 2-0 Big 12), Cincinnati (5-5, 0-3 Big 12)
TV: Longhorn Network (Tyler Denning, pxb; Jon Wiegand, analyst)
Digital Broadcast Link: https://hookem.at/WTN-Watch
Live Stats: https://hookem.at/WTN-Stats
Notes
-Cincinnati Series: Never met
This will be the first meeting between Texas and Cincinnati in records dating back to 1978.
-Texas vs. Cincinnati in 2023-24 tournament play
N/A
-ITA Team Rankings
Texas picked up where it left off last season at No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll released January 3 by the ITA and moved up one spot to No. 6 on January 17 before moving to No. 10 on January 24, where it remained on January 31 until ascending back to No. 6 on Feb. 14 and then moving up to No. 4 on Feb. 20. The Longhorns then returned to No. 6 on Feb. 27 and to No. 7 on March 5. Texas has finished each of the last six years in the Top 10 of the final ITA national polls. UT earned a No. 6 ranking in 2018, No. 9 in 2019, No. 4 in 2020, No. 1 in both 2021 and 2022, and No. 7 in 2023.
-ITA Individual National Rankings
Three UT singles players are included in the latest ITA national Top 125 singles rankings (March 5) with all of those in the top-40, while four pairs are included in the Top 80 doubles rankings capped by one in the top-20.
Texas
Singles
No. 20 Sabina Zeynalova
No. 21 Malaika Rapolu
No. 39 Tanya Sasnouskaya
Doubles
No. 17 Taisiya Pachkaleva/Sabina Zeynalova
No. 46 Tanya Sasnouskaya/Sabina Zeynalova
No. 74 Charlotte Chavatipon/Tanya Sasnouskaya
No. 78 Malaika Rapolu/Vivian Ovrootsky
Cincinnati
Singles
N/A
Doubles
N/A
-Trending
Sabina Zeynalova
After missing fall singles play due to injury, Zeynalova has played No. 1 singles in all 11 matches in which she has played (she missed the West Virginia match to rest), including the last eight against top-65 opponents. In those eight, she has posted a 5-3 record, including four of her last five with wins over No. 13 Carolyn Ansari of Auburn, No. 14 Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, No. 17 Anastasiya Komar of Oklahoma State, and No. 38 Dana Guzman of Oklahoma with that victory clinching a 4-3 win over the Sooners. The fifth win was against No. 61 Maria Sholokhova of Wisconsin. Her three defeats came versus No. 1 Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M, in a third-set tiebreaker against No. 35 Alexandra Vecic of Georgia, and a third set on the road versus No. 45 Angelica Blake of Stanford. In doubles, Zeynalova became partners with Taisiya Pachkaleva for dual match play, and the duo has played at No. 1 in every match they’ve played together, posting an 8-3 record with five top-50 victories, highlighted by a win over No. 3 Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres of Texas A&M. In the eight wins, only one opponent has even reached a score of three games against them, and they have four of Texas’ seven clinched doubles points. In the fall, Zeynalova played in limited doubles matches, partnering with Tanya Sasnouskaya with the duo going 5-2 with the first four wins vaulting them to the final of the ITA Texas Regional Championships.
Tanya Sasnouskaya
Sasnouskaya is a transfer from Old Dominion who began play with Texas in the fall and went 8-6 in tournament play with five top-60 wins, highlighted by a 6-2, 6-4 decision over No. 16 Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, a 6-0, 6-3 win over No. 22 Carolyn Ansari of Auburn, and a 6-0, 6-0 win over No. 27 Sydni Ratliff of Ohio State. She also was just edged in a 14-12 superbreaker by No. 24 Kari Miller of Michigan. In dual matches, Sasnouskaya has played No. 2 singles in every match, going 4-5 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 73 Luciana Perry of Ohio State and clinching the match against Baylor. In doubles, Sasnouskaya has played with three partners in 2023-24, starting with Charlotte Chavatipon, then Sabina Zeynalova, and Malaika Rapolu. She and Rapolu have played together at No. 2 for each dual match with a 3-6 record and a doubles clinch over Baylor. In the fall, Sasnouskaya and Zeynalova reached the final of the ITA Texas Regional Championships.
Malaika Rapolu
Rapolu has been on a tear in 2023-24, compiling a 28-3 singles record that includes a perfect 11-0 mark in dual matches, with seven of the last eight against ranked opponents in straight sets. The featured wins of that group were over No. 21 Alexandra Yepifanova of Stanford, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 24 Mia Kupres of Texas A&M, 6-2, 6-2, while she also clinched the match against Florida State. Only four of her total 28 victories have even gone to a third set, and against West Virginia, she played her first match at No. 1 and came away with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. She had been slotted to play No. 2 in that match, and then Sabina Zeynalova did not play, so Rapolu moved up to No. 1. Meanwhile, two of her three losses have been against top-25 foes, including against No. 7 Ayana Akli of South Carolina with Rapolu forcing tiebreakers in both sets of that match. In the fall, Rapolu won the singles title at the ITA Texas Regionals. In doubles, Rapolu partnered with Vivian Ovrootsky in the fall and the duo registered a 9-4 record. She then paired with Tanya Sasnouskaya for dual matches at No. 2 (although they played No. 1 against West Virginia) with a 3-6 mark and a doubles clinch over Baylor.
Charlotte Chavatipon
Chavatipon has generated a 15-10 overall singles record this year, including 8-3 in dual matches during which she’s played primarily at No. 4 with two matches at No. 3. She opened dual match play winning her first five contests, highlighted by a victory over No. 70 Anastasiia Lopata of Georgia, and the overall clinch against Texas A&M with a win over Lucciana Perez. In the fall, Chavatipon defeated No. 20 Ariana Arseneault of Auburn at the Wolfpack Invitational, and later made a run to the final of the ITA Texas Regionals, where she finally only fell to teammate Malaika Rapolu. In doubles, Chavatipon first paired with Tanya Sasnouskaya in the fall, but has teamed with Vivian Ovrootsky throughout dual match play and the duo has won the last six decisions, including doubles clinches against Wisconsin, Stanford and West Virginia.
Taisiya Pachkaleva
Pachkaleva has registered a 10-7 overall record in singles so far in 2023-24 with a 7-3 mark in dual matches, playing primarily at No. 5. She won her first four contests in dual match play, including clinching the overall match against No. 4 Georgia with a win over Guillermina Grant. In doubles, Pachkaleva became partners with Sabina Zeynalova for dual match play, and the duo has played at No. 1 in every match they’ve played together, posting an 8-3 record with five top-50 victories, highlighted by a win over No. 3 Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres of Texas A&M. In the eight wins, only one opponent has even reached a score of three games against them, and they have four of Texas’ seven clinched doubles points. Pachkaleva paired with Nicole Rivkin and Vivian Ovrootsky in the fall for a 3-2 record.
Vivian Ovrootsky
Ovrootsky returned to action this year after missing last season with an injury. So far, she is 17-10 overall in singles with a 6-4 mark in dual matches, playing primarily at No. 6, and she earned her first career ranking of No. 105 in February. Her top wins came against No. 46 Ayumi Miyamoto of Oklahoma State in straight sets, and No. 82 Valencia Xu, while she also clinched the overall matches against Wisconsin and Auburn. She posted two other ranked wins in the fall, along with reaching the final of the USTA SoCal Intercollegiates. In doubles, she has teamed with Charlotte Chavatipon throughout dual match play, and the duo has won the last six decisions, including doubles clinches against Wisconsin, Stanford and West Virginia. She also teamed with Malaika Rapolu for 13 matches, winning nine, and Taisiya Pachkaleva for two, which they split.
-Joffe in Year Nine
Head Coach Howard Joffe is in his ninth season leading the UT program. Under Joffe’s leadership, Texas claimed back-to-back NCAA team championships in 2021 and 2022 and has finished each of the last six years in the top 10 of the final ITA national polls, earning year-end rankings of No. 6 in 2018, No. 9 in 2019, No. 4 in 2020, No. 1 in both 2021 and 2022 and No. 7 in 2023. The Longhorns also have captured four Big 12 regular-season championships (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023-co) and four Big 12 postseason tournament titles (2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) in the last five opportunities (2020 season canceled due to COVID-19).
The 2021 ITA Division I Women’s National Coach of the Year, Joffe has registered a 175-43 (.803) mark in his nine years at Texas. During his 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has tallied a 306-104 (.746) dual-match record. Peyton Stearns claimed the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and the ITA National Player of the Year in 2022. Joffe has helped five Longhorns earn a total of seven ITA All-America honors in singles (Breaunna Addison in 2016, Bianca Turati in 2018, Anna Turati and Bianca Turati in 2020, Stearns in both 2021 and 2022 and Kylie Collins in 2022) and two duos earn ITA All-America accolades in doubles (Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun in 2021 and Stearns and Allura Zamarripa in 2022). Stearns became the first player in program history to win the NCAA Singles Championship in 2022, while Collins and Sun reached the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2021. In addition, 15 players have registered a combined 22 All-Big 12 singles and 20 All-Big 12 doubles selections in Joffe’s tenure in Austin.
-Sweeping the Mountaineers
Texas claimed a 7-0 sweep over West Virginia on March 8 at the Texas Tennis Center. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, the Longhorns received singles victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 1, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, and Shachf Lieberman at No. 6.
-Zeynalova named Big 12 Player of the Week
Sabina Zeynalova was named Big 12 Women’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending March 3. It is the second Big 12 weekly award of her career after winning her first last season. Zeynalova defeated No. 38 Dana Guzman in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, in the deciding match to clinch a 4-3 win over No. 15 Oklahoma to open Big 12 Conference play. Zeynalova trailed, 5-2, in the opening set and went on to win 11 of the last 12 games.
-Red River victory to open Big 12 play
The Longhorns opened Big 12 Conference play with a 4-3 victory over No. 15 Oklahoma on March 3 at the Texas Tennis Center. After the Sooners won the doubles point, Texas received singles victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, and Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1 for the clinch in the deciding match.
-Another close one on the West Coast
Texas was edged by No. 3 Stanford, 4-3, on Feb. 23 at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif. The overall match went deep into the third set of the final singles match before the Cardinal was able to prevail. After Texas secured the doubles point and Malaika Rapolu was first off the singles court with her win at No. 3 for a 2-0 lead, Stanford took singles matches at Nos. 5, 2 and 1 for a 3-2 advantage. Vivian Ovrootsky equalized the overall contest with a victory at No. 6 before the Cardinal earned the final win at No. 4.
-Singles sweep vs. Auburn
The Longhorns claimed a 4-1 victory over No. 12 Auburn on Feb. 18. It was the fourth win over a top-12 opponent in the last five matches. After the Tigers won the doubles point, the Longhorns responded with singles victories from Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, and Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6 for the clinch.
-So close in Seattle
Texas came oh so close to topping eventual ITA Indoors champion Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. The Longhorns trailed, 3-0, but rallied to push the Cowgirls all the way to a third-set tiebreaker in the final singles match, however they came up just short. Oklahoma State took the doubles point with wins on Nos. 1 and 2, and in singles play, Texas got victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, and Vivian Ovrootsky on No. 5. Sandwiched around that result were two impressive top-12 wins over No. 9 Texas A&M in the Round of 16, ad No. 12 Ohio State in a consolation match. Against the Aggies, the Longhorns secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1 and earned singles victories from Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Rapolu at No. 3, and Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4 to clinch. Texas also took doubles point against the Buckeyes at Nos. 1 and 2, and followed with singles victories from Rapolu at No. 3, Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, and Zeynalova at No. 1. Zeynalova clinched the match with her three-set win as the score was tied, 3-3, after the Longhorns had led, 3-1.
-Seven-straight trips to the ITA National Indoor Championships
The Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight year in 2024. Texas reached the quarterfinals in five of those trips, including the last four (2019, 2021-24), while advancing all the way to the final in 2021 when they were edged by then No. 1 North Carolina, 4-3, in what would be the only loss of the season on the way to winning the first of back-to-back NCAA National Championships. That was UT’s second all-time appearance in the final, along with 2006 against Stanford. The Longhorns have also won two matches in each of the last five tournaments, including consolation matches in 2020 and 2022-24 (2021 began with the quarters).
-Pachkaleva named Big 12 Player of the Week
Taisiya Pachkaleva was named Big 12 Women’s Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 4, to earn the first conference weekly honor in her Big 12 career at Texas. Pachkaleva went a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles leading Texas to two ranked wins over No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 4 Georgia. Both doubles victories came against top-60 opponents, including a strong 6-1 win over No. 50 Maria Sholokhova and Alina Mukhortova of Wisconsin, and a 6-3 win over No. 58 Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia that clinched the doubles point in that match. Pachkaleva also clinched the overall match against the Bulldogs with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Guillermina Grant at No. 5 in the one-point UT victory. Against the Badgers, Pachkaleva’s 7-5, 6-0 singles victory over Kaja Jacobson at No. 5 provided the Longhorns a 3-0 overall lead.
-Turning around for a top-five victory
Texas topped No. 4 Georgia, 4-3, on Feb. 4 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center. The Longhorns clinched at 4-2 and earned their second ranked win in as many days in a span just over 24 hours. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, Texas earned singles victories from seniors Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, and Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5 to clinch.
-7-0 sweep of No. 25 Wisconsin
The Longhorns claimed a 7-0 sweep against No. 25 Wisconsin on Feb. 3 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center, completing the match without dropping a set. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, the Longhorns earned singles victories from Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, Malaika Rapolu at No. 4, and Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3.
-ITA Kickoff Weekend Texas Regional Champions
Texas hosted an ITA Kickoff Weekend regional for the sixth-straight year and produced a pair of 4-0 sweeps, first over Baylor in the first round, and then Florida State in the championships match from January 26-27. With the wins, the Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight time. Against Baylor, Texas took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, received singles victories within minutes of each other from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4 and Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2. The Longhorns then captured doubles against Florida State with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, and had singles victories from Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, Chavatipon at No. 4, and Rapolu at No. 3.
-Strange things afoot in California
The Longhorns traveled to Los Angeles with intensions of playing two matches against No. 16 UCLA and No. 21 USC on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively, however in challenging circumstances, only the match against the Bruins was played, and during that, Texas found itself extremely shorthanded in a 5-2 defeat. Due to illness within the team, Texas was able to fight its way through doubles against the Bruins, falling in a tiebreaker in the third and deciding match, but then was forced to remove two players from singles, leading to an adjusted lineup with two forfeits and a 3-0 deficit before singles play even began. The Longhorns still managed to win two singles contests by Malaika Rapolu and Taisiya Pachkaleva at Nos. 2 and 3, but came up short at Nos. 1 and 4. The match at USC was then postponed due to inclement weather and is planned for a February 25 make-up date.
-Back in 2024
Texas returns seven players from its 2023 squad that won a share of the Big 12 Regular Season Championship, its third-straight Big 12 tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third-straight year. Included in that group is sophomore Susanna Brass, senior Charlotte Chavatipon, senior Gabby Cusano, sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky, senior Taisiya Pachkaleva, senior Malaika Rapolu and junior Sabina Zeynalova. Taisiya Pachkaleva was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Charlotte Chavatipon was selected to the All-Big 12 singles first team, and Sabina Zeynalova was tabbed to the All-Big 12 singles second team. The duo of Chavatipon and Zeynalova were selected to the All-Big 12 doubles first team. In addition, Zeynalova claimed Big 12 individual champion honors at No. 3 singles (5-1) and Pachkaleva was named the Big 12 individual champion at No. 4 singles (5-2). Year. Pachkaleva became just the third Longhorn in league history to earn Newcomer of the Year honors and first since the 2007, joining a group of former UT winners that includes Vanja Corovic (2007) and Vladka Uhlirova (2000).
-New faces in 2024
Several newcomers join the team, including Tanya Sasnouskaya, who is a graduate transfer from Old Dominion and is from Minsk Belarus and arrived for the fall semester. As a senior at Old Dominion in 2023, Sasnouskaya advanced to the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship and was No. 25 in the final ITA national singles rankings. She went undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play in singles and earned Sun Belt Player of the Year and first-team All-Sun Belt singles accolades. She also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Doubles Championship and was No. 26 in the final ITA national doubles rankings. Three freshmen will also be on the roster, including Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz from Glengowrie, Australia; Shachf Lieberman from Modiin Israel; and Maddy MacNeille from Delray Beach, Fla. Kempenaers-Pocz is one of the top juniors players in the world with a career high ranking of No. 35, while she has also been ranked as high as No. 760 in singles and No. 447 in doubles by the WTA, while Lieberman has held a career-high juniors ranking of No. 358, and career-high WTA rankings of No. 1239 in singles and No. 1380 in doubles.
-Fall Wrap-Up
The Longhorns won several titles in the fall, highlighted by Malaika Rapolu taking the singles title at the ITA Texas Regionals prior to reaching the round of 16 at ITA Fall Nationals. It marked the 13th consecutive year head coach Howard Joffe has had a singles finalist or winner at the Texas Regionals with nine straight at Texas and the previous four at Texas A&M. At the 2023 tournament, Joffe had both, as Charlotte Chavatipon also made the singles final. Not only that, but the duo of Tanya Sasnouskaya and Sabina Zeynalova were doubles finalists. Rapolu also claimed the singles and doubles titles at the River Oaks Invitational to start the fall, partnering with Vivian Ovrootsky for that doubles championship. Meanwhile, Ovrootsky had singles success, as well, taking the title of the Texas A&M Invitational and reaching the final of the USTA SoCal Intercollegiate Championships. Overall, the Longhorns posted a 50-34 singles record in fall play, and an 18-11 doubles mark. Rapolu and Ovrootsky led the way in singles, registering 17-3 and 11-6 records, respectively. They also combined for a 9-4 record in doubles.
-Back in the Quarterfinals, Again
The Longhorns earned their third straight and 13th all-time appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals last season. Texas has now earned trips to the ‘Elite Eight’ in 1984, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
-Peaking at the Right Time
The Longhorns closed 2023 having won 14 of their last 16 matches dating back to a 6-1 win at K-State on March 19. Twelve of those 14 victories came against opponents who were nationally ranked, including five top-25 foes. Texas recorded back-to-back 4-0 sweeps against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and No. 34 San Diego in the NCAA First and Second Rounds in Austin (May 5 and 6) before adding a 4-3 victory over No. 9 Pepperdine in the NCAA Austin Super Regional (May 13). Texas only lost to eventual National Champion and No. 1 North Carolina in the NCAA Quarters.
-2023 Big 12 Champs
The Longhorns earned a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship with Oklahoma in 2023, as both Texas and Oklahoma posted 8-1 marks in league play during the regular season. The Longhorns claimed the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Championship by virtue of their 5-2 win over the Sooners in Austin on March 10. Texas has now captured 24 regular-season league titles, including 12 in the Big 12 Conference (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001-co, 2002, 2004, 2007-co, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023-co) and 12 in the Southwest Conference (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988-co, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996). The last four regular-season championships have come under the direction of head coach Howard Joffe.
-Three-Peat as Big 12 Tournament Champs
Texas claimed its third-consecutive Big 12 tourney title with a 3-0 mark in Lawrence, Kan. (April 20-23). The Longhorns topped No. 49 TCU (4-1) in the quarterfinals, No. 18 Oklahoma State (4-3) in the semifinals and No. 14 Oklahoma (4-2) in the championship match. UT won the championship for the fourth time in the last five events (won in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023; no tourney in 2020 due to COVID-19). Texas has captured the Big 12 Tournament championship title a total of 13 times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023), with the last four coming under the leadership of head coach Howard Joffe. The Longhorns have amassed a total of 22 conference tournament titles in program history, as UT previously claimed nine Southwest Conference tourney crowns (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996).
-Back-to-Back NCAA Team Championships
Texas posted a 26-4 dual-match record during the 2022 season and captured their second-straight and fourth NCAA team title in program history with a 4-1 victory against Oklahoma in the championship match. UT previously won NCAA Championships in 1993, 1995 and 2021. The Longhorns joined Stanford and Florida as the only schools to repeat as NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis national champions since 1982.
-Year seven at the Texas Tennis Center
Texas is in its seventh year at the Texas Tennis Center with a 5-0 mark this season and a now has a 66-6 (.917) overall record in its history. Last season, the Longhorns were 11-2, highlighted by a 6-1 win over No. 6 Iowa State. The season before that, the Longhorns posted a 9-1 record with the only losses coming in a 4-3 decision to No. 4 NC State. Texas went undefeated in 2021 with a 13-0 mark, which included a 7-0 sweep over No. 7 Baylor. In a shortened season in 2020, UT recorded a 7-1 record with the only defeat being 4-3 to No. 12 Stanford. The Longhorns finished 2019 at 8-2, with a pair of wins over top-20 foes Florida State and Kansas, while their only defeats were also to top-20 opponents in Pepperdine and Texas A&M. During its inaugural season, Texas registered another undefeated 13-0 season, including winning the 2018 Big 12 Tournament and logging top-15 wins over No. 6 Stanford, No. 12 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Texas Tech.
