Wildcats Dominate Doubles Play in Qualifying Round at ITA All-American Championships
Oct 07, 2019 | Tennis
TULSA, Okla. – The Kansas State women's tennis team would pull off three victories on the first day of doubles play at the ITA All-American Championships at LaFortune Park on Monday (October 7).
Juniors Anna Turco and Margot Decker would run away with both of their matches on the afternoon, as the duo defeated Alexis Franco and Peyton Pesavento from Wake Forest with a set victory of 8-5 and then knocked off Duke's Chloe Beck and Meible Chi with a score of 8-1 in the set.
"Anna (Turco) and Margot (Decker) were impressive today," said Head Coach Jordan Smith. "They never went away from playing their style. It helps that they have great chemistry on the doubles court. Plus, Margot and Anna are not strangers to strong competition after being our No. 1 team last season. Seeing them get two wins against (teams from) Wake Forest and Duke was great. They will have a great chance to qualify for the main draw if they continue this form."
Turco and Decker will take on the Depaul's doubles team of Lenka Antonijevic and Yuliya Kizelbasheva at 3 p.m., CT on Tuesday.
The pairing of junior Maria Linares and sophomore Karine-Marion Job kicked off the day in dramatic fashion, knocking off Texas A&M's Renee McBryde and Katya Townsend with an 8-7 (7-4) tiebreaker victory. The duo would then go head-to-head with Oklahoma State's Dariya Detkovskaya and Bunyawi Thamchaiwat, falling 8-6.
"This was their first time playing together," said Smith. "For them to beat a good team from Texas A&M and almost pull out a tight win against Oklahoma State, we can't ask for anything more."
This is the first time the Wildcats have had participants in doubles play at the ITA All-American Championships, which officially began back in 2008.
Linares entered the singles competition portion of the Qualifying Round with three-straight victories in the Pre-Qualifying Round on Saturday and Sunday. Going up against Duke's Beck, Linares could not bounce back after a first-set defeat and eventually fell in straight sets, 4-6, 3-6.
Linares will play Denver's Taylor Melville in the singles' consolation bracket at 8:30 a.m., CT on Tuesday.
"I thought this was a great day for the 'Cats", said Smith. "Maria (Linares) battled hard this morning. She was running on empty for sure, but she kept pushing herself. Despite the loss, she played a great match. Tons of fight and heart today from her."
With her performance on Monday, Linares became the first Wildcat to compete in the Qualifying Round for singles play in the tournament's history.
Through its three-day stint at the ITA All-American Championships, K-State has produced four singles wins and three doubles wins.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
Juniors Anna Turco and Margot Decker would run away with both of their matches on the afternoon, as the duo defeated Alexis Franco and Peyton Pesavento from Wake Forest with a set victory of 8-5 and then knocked off Duke's Chloe Beck and Meible Chi with a score of 8-1 in the set.
"Anna (Turco) and Margot (Decker) were impressive today," said Head Coach Jordan Smith. "They never went away from playing their style. It helps that they have great chemistry on the doubles court. Plus, Margot and Anna are not strangers to strong competition after being our No. 1 team last season. Seeing them get two wins against (teams from) Wake Forest and Duke was great. They will have a great chance to qualify for the main draw if they continue this form."
Turco and Decker will take on the Depaul's doubles team of Lenka Antonijevic and Yuliya Kizelbasheva at 3 p.m., CT on Tuesday.
The pairing of junior Maria Linares and sophomore Karine-Marion Job kicked off the day in dramatic fashion, knocking off Texas A&M's Renee McBryde and Katya Townsend with an 8-7 (7-4) tiebreaker victory. The duo would then go head-to-head with Oklahoma State's Dariya Detkovskaya and Bunyawi Thamchaiwat, falling 8-6.
"This was their first time playing together," said Smith. "For them to beat a good team from Texas A&M and almost pull out a tight win against Oklahoma State, we can't ask for anything more."
This is the first time the Wildcats have had participants in doubles play at the ITA All-American Championships, which officially began back in 2008.
Linares entered the singles competition portion of the Qualifying Round with three-straight victories in the Pre-Qualifying Round on Saturday and Sunday. Going up against Duke's Beck, Linares could not bounce back after a first-set defeat and eventually fell in straight sets, 4-6, 3-6.
Linares will play Denver's Taylor Melville in the singles' consolation bracket at 8:30 a.m., CT on Tuesday.
"I thought this was a great day for the 'Cats", said Smith. "Maria (Linares) battled hard this morning. She was running on empty for sure, but she kept pushing herself. Despite the loss, she played a great match. Tons of fight and heart today from her."
With her performance on Monday, Linares became the first Wildcat to compete in the Qualifying Round for singles play in the tournament's history.
Through its three-day stint at the ITA All-American Championships, K-State has produced four singles wins and three doubles wins.
For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or Kansas State Tennis on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
K-State Tennis | Court Updates and Resurfacing
Tuesday, November 11
K-State TEN | Court Resurfacing
Thursday, November 06
K-State Tennis Practice highlights
Tuesday, September 02
Sana Garakani Senior Day Video
Thursday, April 24
