K-State Wraps Up Third Day of ITA Central Regional Championships
Oct 14, 2018 | Tennis
IOWA CITY, Iowa?– K-State's Margot Decker and Maria Linares each reached the Round of 16 Sunday while Anna Turco earned a spot in the semifinal consolation at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central Regional Championship held at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
"We competed hard today," head coach Jordan Smith said. "Lost a few tough three-set matches today. We could have been more assertive in the bigger moments, but that's something that I'm sure will get better with more matches. Overall, I'm pleased knowing that they left it all out on the court today."
Sophomores Decker and Linares each moved on to the Round of 16 with three-set victories before their tournaments came to an end later in the day. Decker got by Missouri's Serena Nash, 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3, while Linares upended Oklahoma's Camilla Romero, 3-6, 7-6, (4), 6-4. Linares then went on to face No. 124 Janet Koch of Kansas and lost 6-4, 7-6 (4) and Decker fell to KU's Sonia Smagina, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.
Turco won a straight-set decision over Gabrielle Goldin of Mizzou, 6-3, 6-0, and will face the Sooners' Jasmine Asghar for an opportunity to move into the consolation final Monday.
Wildcat freshman Maria Ponomareva took the opening set from KU's Nina Khmelnitckaia, the 106th-ranked player in the ITA poll, before ultimately falling in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Fans will be able to view select courts throughout the tournament on the official home page of the 2018 ITA Central Regional Championships along with results and schedules. Live updates will also be available on the team's official Twitter page @KStateTEN.
