University of North Texas Athletics
Kutubidze Wins Rice Invite Championship
9/23/2018 4:51:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HOUSTON —Battling highly touted ranked opponents and constant weather delays over the three day tournament on the campus of Rice University, the North Texas tennis team's senior Tamuna Kutubidze captured the Rice Invite's Flight One singles championship Sunday afternoon.
Due to rain delays on Saturday, Kutubidze was forced to play two singles matches on Sunday and won both. Claiming the flight title with a 6-4, 6-7(4,) 6-3, victory over South Florida's Ana Roman Dominguez.
"This was the best tournament so far that I played within these three years," said Kutubidze. "I was very consistent with wins. I was confident, I moved well, even though there was moments when my intensity would drop a bit, but I was able to manage my game."
Kutubidze began the event, which kicked-off the 2018-19 season, with a straight set victory over Alabama's And Daniell who is ranked No. 70 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason poll. It is the highest ranked singles opponent Kutubidze had ever beaten.
On Saturday, severe weather postponed Kutubidze's semifinals match against SMU's Karina Traxler multiples times before it was finally suspended in the middle of the second-set and Kutubidze leading, 6-3, 5-5 (40-30).
When they returned to the courts on Sunday, there was no drop-off for the Mean Green senior.
"I'm very glad cause I beat very good players in this tournament and all of them played different styles so it was hard," Kutubidze said. "I'm glad I started my senior year this way and hopefully it will keep going the same way. This definitely was a tournament to remember for me."
North Texas sophomore Nidhi Surapaneni also claimed a championship after she beat Stephen F. Austin's Darinka Tiboldi 6-1, 5-7, 10-7 in the tournament's seventh flight.
Surapaneni, like Kutubidze, also battled horrible weather to rally off three consecutive singles wins. Surapaneni beat a Oklahoma opponent in the semifinals round and a Texas State opponent in the opening round on Friday. In both of those matches she made comebacks after dropping the first sets.
"Tamuna and Nidhi won their singles draws, going undefeated. Tamuna is crowned 'The Queen of The Tournament' after winning the top flight draw," said associate head coach Jeff Hammond. "I could not be happier with the grit and determination that Tamuna and Nidhi showed."
Junior Alexandra Heczey also had a strong showing in the Mean Green's opening tournament. Heczey placed third in the fifth flight after beating Giovanna Fioretti, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the final round.
In total, the six UNT women who competed in the three-day event won 19 of the 28 (68 percent) total matches.
"The team grew this weekend and showed the maturity of being upperclassmen," Hammond said. "We have the same personnel as last year, but this is a much different team now. Their experience is beginning to show."
DAY 3 RESULTS
Semifinals
Kutubidze def. Traxler(SMU); 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-4
Finals
Kutubidze def. Roman(USF); 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3
Semifinals
Surapaneni def. Miller(Oklahoma); 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
Finals
Surapaneni def. Tiboldi(SFA); 6-1, 5-7, 10-7
Semifinals
Chitdara(Houston) def. Heczey; 6-7 (5), 2-6
Third Place
Heczey def. Fioretti(McNeese St) 7-6 (4), 6-3
Extra Matches
Sasaki def. Reinecke(TAMCC); 6-2, 6-1
Babic def. Iwaniuk (Northwestern State); 6-2, 6-1
Chobanyan(SHSU) def. Tranberg; 6-4, 5-7, 10-6
Pellicier(USF) def. Babic; 6-3, 6-4, 11-9
De La Luz(SHSU) def. Sasaki; 6-1, 6-0
Tranberg def. Hill(SHSU) 6-0, 6-0
