WACO, Texas — The No. 2 University of Texas women’s tennis team earned a 6-1 road victory against No. 15 Baylor (11-2) in a non-conference match on Saturday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center. The Longhorns, who earlier defeated Baylor 4-0 in Austin on Jan. 24 as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, improved to 10-1 in dual-match play and claimed their fifth win against a ranked opponent this spring.
Texas took a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point for the 10th time in its first 11 dual matches. The freshman duo of Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun improved to 7-1 in dual-match doubles play with a 6-1 victory on court 1 against Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana. Collins and Sun won their fifth consecutive match, including three against Top-10 ranked opponents.
The freshman tandem of Charlotte Chavatipon and Peyton Stearns clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 win on court 3 over Angelina Shakhraichuk and Audrey Boch-Collins. Chavatipon and Stearns moved to 5-1 in dual-match doubles play this spring.
No. 66 Stearns opened singles action with an impressive 6-3, 6-1 victory on court 1 against Mel Krywoj to give the Longhorns a 2-0 advantage. Tied at 3-3 in the opening set, Stearns won nine of the next 10 games to improve to 6-1 in dual-match singles play at the top line. The Bears trimmed the deficit to 2-1 after Livia Kraus posted a 6-3, 6-1 win on court 5 over Collins.
No. 5-ranked senior Anna Turati followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court 3 against Jessica Hinojosa. Turati won her fourth consecutive match and improved to 7-2 on the season. The remaining three singles matches all went three sets.
No. 125-ranked Chavatipon sealed the dual-match victory with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win on court 4 over Shakhraichuk. Chavatipon moved to 13-1 overall in singles this season, including a 10-1 mark in dual-match play.
Freshman Malaika Rapolu added a hard-fought 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory on court 6 against Paula Baranano. Rapolu improved to 12-2 in singles play overall this year, including a 5-1 record in dual-match action. No. 94-ranked Sun then closed out the match by rallying for a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win on court 2 over Herrero Linana. In the decisive third set, Sun saved a match point down 5-4 and went on to force a tiebreaker. Tied at 4-4 in the breaker, Sun won the next three points to close out the victory.
UT returns to action when it hosts a pair of matches at the Texas Tennis Center on Friday, March 12. The Longhorns are scheduled to face Texas State at 9 a.m. Central and open Big 12 Conference play against West Virginia at 4 p.m. Central.
#2 Texas 6, Baylor 1
Singles – Order of finish (1, 5, 3, 4, 6, 2)
- #66 Peyton Stearns (UT) def. Mel Krywoj (BU), 6-3, 6-1
- #94 Lulu Sun (UT) def. Alicia Herrero Linana (BU), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
- #5 Anna Turati (UT) def. Jessica Hinojosa (BU), 6-2, 6-1
- #125 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Angelina Shakhraichuk (BU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
- Livia Kraus (BU) def. Kylie Collins (UT), 6-3, 6-1
- Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Paula Baranano (BU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles – Order of finish (1, 3)
- Kylie Collins/Lulu Sun def. Mel Krywoj/Alicia Herrero Linana (BU), 6-1
- #48 Fernanda Labraña/Anna Turati (UT) vs. Kristina Sorokolet/Jessica Hinojosa (BU), 3-4, unfinished
- Charlotte Chavatipon/Peyton Stearns (UT) def. Angelina Shakhraichuk/Audrey Boch-Collins (BU), 6-2