Wildcats Fall to No. 2 Texas on Sunday Afternoon

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Facing its second-ranked opponent in as many days, the Kansas State women's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 2 Texas on Sunday afternoon (April 11) at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium.

The Longhorns (20-1, 7-0 Big 12) have now won 13 consecutive matches dating back to their lone loss of the season against No. 1 North Carolina on February 7.

"Texas is deep and deserves to be where they are in the rankings," said head coach Jordan Smith. "Doubles was better than yesterday for us. We gave them too much respect at the beginning of singles."

In a promising start to the match, K-State (7-9, 2-5 Big 12) attacked Texas in doubles' competition from the No. 1 and 2 positions, as the Wildcats searched for an early advantage. Despite the solid start in doubles play, Texas managed to break loose with set wins on courts one and three to push ahead 1-0 in the match.

Sophomore Karine-Marion Job and junior Maria Linares resisted Texas' Lulu Sun and Kylie Collins – who rank No. 7 in the nation – for the first stage of their doubles set on court one. However, the Longhorns' duo lived up to their ranking in the No. 1 spot, as both Collins and Sun clinched three-straight games to break a 3-3 tie from Job and Linares and handed the Wildcat duo a 6-3 loss.

The duel on court two featured the No. 71 ranked duo in the nation – Texas' Fernanda Labrana and Anna Turati – against K-State's Lilla Barzo and Manami Ukita. The Wildcat tandem were competitive, sitting at a 4-3 advantage, before play was halted due to the 6-0 win by the Longhorns' Marta Perez Mur and Charlotte Chavatipon over senior Margot Decker and junior Anna Turco on court three.

Texas arrived in Manhattan with five of its players ranked in the ITA National Top 125 Singles poll, and four of those athletes took part in Sunday's conference showdown.

Hoping to gain the upper hand in the first sets of singles' actions, the Wildcats strived to get ahead in each of their matchups. Despite the rapid pace in the opening minutes, the Longhorns were able to gain the advantage.

Junior Anna Turco was the first Wildcat to fall, when she stumbled on court six against the Longhorns' Malaika Rapolu, 6-2, 6-2.

On courts one and two, Job and Linares were confronted by the Longhorns' Anna Turati and Lulu Sun at the top of the lineup. Turati – the No. 18 ranked player in the country – dealt a 6-0 win in set one over Job before taking down the Lyon, France, native with a 6-3 victory in set two. Linares pressed on in her matchup with Sun and nearly extended the match to a third set, but Sun rallied in the second set tiebreaker to down Linares at 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).

"I think the important thing is to know that we are still a good team, believe in ourselves, and be assertive when we need too," said Job.

Taking on the Longhorns in the No. 3 and 4 positions, Barzo and sophomore Rosanna Maffei could not stave off Texas' No. 81 Charlotte Chavatipon and No. 56 Kylie Collins, which led to another two points for the Longhorns. Chavatipon dealt Maffei a two-set defeat (6-2, 6-2) on court three, while Barzo was upended by Collins on court four in two sets (6-4, 6-2).

Sophomore Ioana Gheorghita was the last remaining Wildcat competing on Sunday but was unable to produce a point for K-State, as the Ploestli, Romania, product dropped her matchup with Texas' Fernanda Labrana in two sets, 6-4, 7-5, enabling the Longhorns to earn their seventh and final point.

"Hopefully, the mindset for our team is to put it on the line for our last weekend at home," said Smith. "Only our mindset matters in my opinion. We need to honor our seniors the right way."

The 2021 regular season will wrap up next weekend on Friday, April 16 and Sunday, April 18, as the Wildcats will go head-to-head with No. 47 Oklahoma State (9-10, 2-4 Big 12) and No. 25 Oklahoma (12-5, 3-3 Big 12) at Mike Goss Tennis Stadium. Friday's match with the Cowgirls will take place at 3 p.m., CT and Sunday's finale with the Sooners will begin at 12 p.m., CT. Senior Day festivities will take place in the match with Oklahoma for K-State's Margot Decker and Lilla Barzo.

K-State vs. No. 2 Texas
April 11, 2021
Mike Goss Tennis Stadium

Doubles Play
Order of Finish: 3, 1
1. #7 Lulu Sun/Kylie Collins (UT) def. Karine-Marion Job/Maria Linares (KSU) 6-3
2. Lilla Barzo/Manami Ukita (KSU) vs. #71 Fernanda Labrana/Anna Turati (UT) 4-3, unfinished
3. Marta Perez Mur/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Margot Decker/Anna Turco (KSU) 6-0

Singles Play:
Order of Finish: 6, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5
No. 1. #18 Anna Turati (UT) def. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) 6-0, 6-3
No. 2. #72 Lulu Sun (UT) def. Maria Linares (KSU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
No. 3. #81 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Rosanna Maffei (KSU) 6-2, 6-2
No. 4. #56 Kylie Collins (UT) def. Lilla Barzo (KSU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 5. Fernanda Labrana (UT) def. Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) 6-4, 7-5
No. 6. Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Anna Turco (KSU) 6-2, 6-2

For the latest on K-State tennis follow @kstatesports and @KStateTEN on Twitter or K-State Women's Tennis on Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Margot Decker

Ioana Gheorghita

Karine-Marion Job

Maria Linares

Rosanna Maffei

Anna Turco

Manami Ukita