University of North Texas Athletics
Kononova Breaks School Record
10/18/2018 5:36:00 PM | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION - On day one of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Texas Regional, Mean Green senior Maria Kononova etched her name in North Texas women's tennis history with a straight-set round-of-64 singles win.
The Thursday-afternoon win was Kononova's 67th singles victory of her collegiate career, surpassing the program record that was last set in 1985.
Kononova had earned a first round bye before beating Houston's Phonexay Chitdara, 6-1, 6-3, to advance and break the school-record.
"My goal for regionals and really any tournament I've played in is to just play my game and accept whatever happens," Kononova said. "To think of how many women have played here at UNT and to win more than them is an honor."
In a little over three years, Kononova has gone from trying to just understand how collegiate tennis worked to being a three-time first-team all-conference selection, being invited to every major NCAA college tournament, named the athletic department's 2016-17 Female Student Athlete of the Year and is on her way to set possibly every school record.
"My teammates have definitely helped me get these here," Kononova said.Â
One teammate to whom Kononova will forever be tied is Tamuna Kutubidze, who by the end of this year could also surpass the former program-record for singles wins and can also graduate with the most doubles wins with Kononova as her partner.
The Kutubidze and Kononova doubles team earned the No. 6 overall seed in the doubles draw and received a first-round bye. They then took care of business in the second-round with a 6-2 win over Texas State's Joy Chia and Rashona Lewis to advance to the round of 32.Â
On Thursday, Kutubidze also advanced past the round of 64 in singles with dominant straight-set victory. Like Kononova, Kutubidze earned a first-round bye in the singles draw. She beat Rosalie Gerritsen of Sam Houston State, 6-2, 6-1.Â
Kutubidze and Kononova will play their round of 32 singles matches on Friday.
Kutubdize has had a dominant fall. She won the Rice Invite Singles Flight championship and beat the No. 70 ranked player, and was named the Conference USA Female Tennis Athlete of the Month for September.
In total, North Texas picked up six singles wins Thursday at the Texas Regional. Senior Minying Liang won two matches to advance to the round of 32 of the single-elimination bracket.Â
Juniors Ivana Babic and Alexandra Heczey each won their opening round matches but fell in the round of 64.Â
In doubles, the Mean Green's Babic and Heczey joined Kutubidze and Kononova in the round of 32 with a 6-2 victory over UT Arlington's Almudena Boza and Momoka Horiguchi, and UNT's Sille Tranberg and Haruka Sasaki defeated a Texas A&M Corpus Christi's team 7-5 to advance to the second round of the main draw.Â
RESULTS
SINGLES
First Round: Heczey (UNT) def. Murcia (TX. ST.); 6-0, 6-2
First Round: Hollebeck (SMU) def. Tranberg (UNT); 7-5, 6-3
First Round: Babic (UNT) def. Pieroni (SMU); 6-3, 6-1
First Round: Petchey (SMU) def. Sasaki (UNT); 6-3, 6-7(5), 1-0
First Round: Kulicke (SMU) def. Surapaneni (UNT); 6-4, 1-6, 1-0
First Round: Liang (UNT) def. Horiguchi (UTA); 6-1, 7-5
Round of 64: Fulgenzi (UIW) def. Heczey (UNT); 3-6, 6-4, 1-0
Round of 64: Kononova (UNT) def. Chitdara (Houston); 6-1, 6-3
Round of 64: Smirnova (Rice) def. Babic (UNT); 4-6, 6-4, 1-0
Round of 64: Kutubidze (UNT) def. Gerritsen (SHSU); 6-2, 6-1
Round of 64: Liang (UNT) def. Barkovic (SHSU); 6-2, 6-4
DOUBLES
First Round: Tranberg/Sasaki (UNT) def. Reinecke/Bulatovic (TAMCC); 7-5
First Round: Tairyan/Ndunda def. Liang/Surapaneni (UNT); 6-2
Round of 64: Kutubidze/Kononova (UNT) def. Lewis/Chia (Texas St.); 6-2
Round of 64: Babic/Heczey (UNT) def. Boza/Horiguchi(UTA); 6-2
Round of 64: Heat/Huang(Rice) def. Sasaki/Tranberg(UNT); 6-2
First Round Consolation: Boza/Horiguchi (UTA) def. Sasaki/Surapaneni(UNT); 6-3
The Thursday-afternoon win was Kononova's 67th singles victory of her collegiate career, surpassing the program record that was last set in 1985.
Kononova had earned a first round bye before beating Houston's Phonexay Chitdara, 6-1, 6-3, to advance and break the school-record.
"My goal for regionals and really any tournament I've played in is to just play my game and accept whatever happens," Kononova said. "To think of how many women have played here at UNT and to win more than them is an honor."
In a little over three years, Kononova has gone from trying to just understand how collegiate tennis worked to being a three-time first-team all-conference selection, being invited to every major NCAA college tournament, named the athletic department's 2016-17 Female Student Athlete of the Year and is on her way to set possibly every school record.
"My teammates have definitely helped me get these here," Kononova said.Â
One teammate to whom Kononova will forever be tied is Tamuna Kutubidze, who by the end of this year could also surpass the former program-record for singles wins and can also graduate with the most doubles wins with Kononova as her partner.
The Kutubidze and Kononova doubles team earned the No. 6 overall seed in the doubles draw and received a first-round bye. They then took care of business in the second-round with a 6-2 win over Texas State's Joy Chia and Rashona Lewis to advance to the round of 32.Â
On Thursday, Kutubidze also advanced past the round of 64 in singles with dominant straight-set victory. Like Kononova, Kutubidze earned a first-round bye in the singles draw. She beat Rosalie Gerritsen of Sam Houston State, 6-2, 6-1.Â
Kutubidze and Kononova will play their round of 32 singles matches on Friday.
Kutubdize has had a dominant fall. She won the Rice Invite Singles Flight championship and beat the No. 70 ranked player, and was named the Conference USA Female Tennis Athlete of the Month for September.
In total, North Texas picked up six singles wins Thursday at the Texas Regional. Senior Minying Liang won two matches to advance to the round of 32 of the single-elimination bracket.Â
Juniors Ivana Babic and Alexandra Heczey each won their opening round matches but fell in the round of 64.Â
In doubles, the Mean Green's Babic and Heczey joined Kutubidze and Kononova in the round of 32 with a 6-2 victory over UT Arlington's Almudena Boza and Momoka Horiguchi, and UNT's Sille Tranberg and Haruka Sasaki defeated a Texas A&M Corpus Christi's team 7-5 to advance to the second round of the main draw.Â
RESULTS
SINGLES
First Round: Heczey (UNT) def. Murcia (TX. ST.); 6-0, 6-2
First Round: Hollebeck (SMU) def. Tranberg (UNT); 7-5, 6-3
First Round: Babic (UNT) def. Pieroni (SMU); 6-3, 6-1
First Round: Petchey (SMU) def. Sasaki (UNT); 6-3, 6-7(5), 1-0
First Round: Kulicke (SMU) def. Surapaneni (UNT); 6-4, 1-6, 1-0
First Round: Liang (UNT) def. Horiguchi (UTA); 6-1, 7-5
Round of 64: Fulgenzi (UIW) def. Heczey (UNT); 3-6, 6-4, 1-0
Round of 64: Kononova (UNT) def. Chitdara (Houston); 6-1, 6-3
Round of 64: Smirnova (Rice) def. Babic (UNT); 4-6, 6-4, 1-0
Round of 64: Kutubidze (UNT) def. Gerritsen (SHSU); 6-2, 6-1
Round of 64: Liang (UNT) def. Barkovic (SHSU); 6-2, 6-4
DOUBLES
First Round: Tranberg/Sasaki (UNT) def. Reinecke/Bulatovic (TAMCC); 7-5
First Round: Tairyan/Ndunda def. Liang/Surapaneni (UNT); 6-2
Round of 64: Kutubidze/Kononova (UNT) def. Lewis/Chia (Texas St.); 6-2
Round of 64: Babic/Heczey (UNT) def. Boza/Horiguchi(UTA); 6-2
Round of 64: Heat/Huang(Rice) def. Sasaki/Tranberg(UNT); 6-2
First Round Consolation: Boza/Horiguchi (UTA) def. Sasaki/Surapaneni(UNT); 6-3
Players Mentioned
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