Rychagova, Bernard-Feigenbaum double winners
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Kansas sophomore Anastasia Rychagova started her second collegiate season where her freshman year left off, as she posted singles and doubles victories on the first day of the Little Rock Invitational at the Little Rock Country Club Friday.
After first-round bye, Rychagova teamed with Purdue transfer Tess Bernard-Feignebaum and the tandem notched a 6-3 victory over the mixed doubles team of Sofiko Kadzhaya from TCU and Myrna Olaya of Arkansas. Bernard-Feignebaum, a senior, added to her Jayhawk debut with a 6-1, 7-6 singles win over TCU’s Alexis Periera in the Flight B bracket.
Ranked No. 49 in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings, Rychagova knocked off TCU’s Kadhaya in Flight A singles, 6-0, 6-0.
“(Friday) was a solid start to the season,” head coach Todd Chapman said. “We started a little slow in doubles, but I felt like as the day went on our play improved. Nastia (Rychagova) and Tess both had a great start to the season in singles and doubles. We look forward to another tough day of tennis (Saturday).”
Freshmen Maria Toran Ribes and Tatiana Nikolaeva each claimed singles victories in their first collegiate matches. Both playing in Flight C, Toran Ribes topped Olaya from Arkansas (6-0, 6-1) and Nikolaeva defeated West Virginia’s Yvon Martinez (6-1, 6-1). The Jayhawk freshmen also teamed up together on the doubles side and split their two matches.
ITA’s preseason No. 49-ranked doubles team of Nina Khmelnitckaia and Janet Koch were upset in the doubles bracket, 6-4, by Arkansas’ Ana Oparenovic and Mia Juasic. Khmelnitckaia and Oparenovic also met on the singles court in Flight A, but it was the No. 60-ranked Oparenovic claiming a 6-4, 6-3 win. KU’s Koch also dropped her singles match, 6-1, 6-2, in the Flight B bracket.
The event will continue Saturday with the finals slated for Sunday.
Day 1 Results
Flight A Singles
Rychagova (KU) def. Kadzhaya (TCU) – 6-0, 6-0
Oparenovic (UA) def. Khmelnitckaia (KU) – 6-4, 6-3
Flight B Singles
Yuen Choo (WVU) def. Koch (KU) – 6-1, 6-2
Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. Pereira (TCU) – 6-1, 7-6
Flight C Singles
Toran Ribes (KU) def. Myrna Olaya (UA) – 6-0, 6-1
Nikolaeva (KU) def. Yvon Martinez (WVU) – 6-1, 6-1
Doubles Bracket
Rychogava/Bernard-Feigenbaum (KU) def. Kadzhaya (TCU)/Olaya (UA) – 6-3
Tedford/Pereira (TCU) def. Nikolaeva/Toran Ribes (KU) – 6-3
Nikolaeva/Toran Ribes (KU) def. Martinez/Lewis (WVU) – 7-6 (2)
Oparenovic/Jurasic (UA) def. Khmelnitckaia/Koch (KU) – 6-4
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