No. 20-ranked Kanas blanked Kansas State, 7-0, in the Sunflower Showdown Saturday afternoon at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. The victory caps off a perfect 11-0 record at home this season as the Jayhawks finish the 2019 regular season 16-4 overall, including 7-2 in the Big 12.
Seniors Janet Koch and Nina Khmelnitckaia, ranked No. 3 in the nation in doubles, made quick work of their match at No. 1 doubles, besting Margot Decker and Anna Turco, 6-2. At No. 3 doubles, Maria Toran Ribes and Malkia Ngounoue were victorious over Ioana Gheorghita and Maria Linares, 6-3, giving Kansas the doubles point.
The doubles match between KU’s No. 73-ranked doubles team of Anastasia Rychagova and Sonia Smagina and K-State’s Karine-Marion Job and Ines Mesquita went unfinished.
In singles, Toran Ribes defeated Gheorghita at No. 6 singles, 6-4, 6-0, giving KU a 2-0 lead. Khmelnitckaia bested Mesquita, 6-1, 6-2. Rychagova, ranked No. 26 in the nation in singles, took down Linares, 6-2, 6-1.
At No. 2 singles, Koch, ranked No. 96, split the first two sets with Turco, 6-3 and 2-6. Then, trailing 7-9 in the super tiebreaker, Koch won four points in a row to win 11-9.
Plobrung Plipuech stormed back to defeat Margot Decker, 6-1, 7-6(4). In the final match of the afternoon, Smagina triumphed over Job at No. 4 singles, 6-4, 7-6(3).
