Three Jayhawks undefeated after the first day of Notre Dame Fall Invitational
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Kansas senior Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum and sophomores Nina Khmelnitckaia and Janet Koch went undefeated on the first day of the Notre Dame Fall Invitational, earning wins in both doubles and singles play on Friday.
Bernard-Feigenbaum and Khmelnitckaia started the day with a doubles win, beating No. 25-ranked Louise Kwong and Ines Vias of Illinois, 7-6 (3). The pair went on to win their respective singles matches. Bernard-Feigenbaum faced Vias again and won 6-2, 6-1. Khmelnitckaia defeated Jerricka Boone of Illinois, 6-3, 6-3.
Koch paired with Anastasia Rychagova to top Alexis Casati and Daniela Pedraza Novak of Illinois, 6-4. Koch went on to face Pedraza Novak in singles and won 7-6, 7-6.
Despite the trio’s success, Kansas head coach Todd Chapman saw room for improvement from his squad.
“Today wasn’t our best tennis, but we found a way to pull some matches out,” Chapman said. “I thought we played decent doubles at times, but we also had some gaps where we went away. Nina and Tess both had solid days and were very business like in their singles matches.”
Rychagova wasn’t able to top the No. 85-ranked Louis Kwong of Illinois, and dropped her singles match 6-0, 6-2. Freshman duo Maria Toran Ribes and Tatiana Nikolaeva dropped their doubles match to Boone and Jade Hilton of Illinois, 6-2. Toran Ribes was then defeated in a three-set match against Hilton, 6-4, 0-6, 6-3. Nikolaeva also lost in a three-set match to Grace Tapak of Illinois, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
“In several matches today we had a hard time getting out of our own way and focusing on the things in our control,” said Chapman. “We battled some adversity today, which is a positive, and we look to be better Saturday because of it.”
Kansas will continue singles and doubles play Saturday morning.
Day 1 Results
Singles
(85) Louise Kwong (UI) def. Anastasia Rychagova (KU) – 6-0, 6-2
Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. Ines Via (UI) – 6-2, 6-1
Janet Koch (KU) def. Daniela Pedraza Novak (UI) – 7-6, 7-6
Nina Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. Jerricka Boone (UI) – 6-3, 6-3
Grace Tapak (UI) def. Tatiana Nikolaeva (KU) – 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Jade Hilton (UI) def. Maria Toran Ribes (KU) – 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
Doubles
Bernard-Feigenbaum/Khmelnitckaia (KU) def. (25) Kwong/Vias (UI) – 7-6 (3)
Rychagova/Koch (KU) def. Casati/Pedraza Novak (UI) – 6-4
Boone/Hilton (UI) def. Nikolaeva/Toran Ribes (KU) – 6-2
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