In a stunning home performance, No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis defeated No. 1 Georgia 4-2 at the Texas Tennis Center. Freshman standouts Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Ashton Bowers delivered key singles wins to clinch the match, marking Texas' first win over a top-ranked team in nearly three years.

 

No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis Stuns No. 1 Georgia, 4-2

Longhorns record their fourth-straight win and first victory over a No. 1 team since 2022

April 11, 2025 – Austin, Texas — No. 14 Texas Women’s Tennis earned a signature 4-2 win over top-ranked Georgia on Friday at the Texas Tennis Center. The win marked the Longhorns’ fourth in a row and their first over a No. 1-ranked opponent since defeating North Carolina in the 2022 NCAA semifinals.

This victory also handed the Bulldogs just their second loss of the season.

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Doubles Point Goes to Texas

Georgia struck first in doubles with a 6-2 win at No. 1, as the No. 5 duo of Dasha Vidmanova and Mell Reasco defeated Texas' No. 24 pair, Ashton Bowers and Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo.

Texas responded quickly. At No. 3, Sabina Zeynalova and Carmen Herea broke late to secure a 6-3 win over No. 90 Mert and Mulberry. The deciding point came at No. 2, where Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Salma Drugdova edged No. 74 Grant and Lopata, 7-5, clinching the doubles point with two consecutive deuce-point wins.

“We showed a lot of fight in doubles after all three courts were broken to start,” said Head Coach Howard Joffe. “Clinching the point on Court 2 really set the tone.”

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Meri Dominates to Extend Lead

Freshman No. 74 Eszter Meri quickly pushed the Longhorns' lead to 2-0 with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over No. 42 Aysegul Mert at No. 4 singles. It was Mert's first dual match loss of the season after starting 14-0.

Meri opened with a deuce-point hold and a 3-0 lead, then later closed the match with another deuce-point break, continuing her recent surge of strong performances.

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Bulldogs Answer at the Top

Georgia evened the match with back-to-back wins at the top two singles spots.

At No. 1, top-ranked Vidmanova defeated No. 56 Sabina Zeynalova, 6-1, 6-2. Despite Zeynalova breaking serve to start, Vidmanova went on an 8-0 run to take control.

At No. 2, freshman Carmen Herea fell to No. 55 Anastasiia Lopata, 6-2, 6-3. Herea led 2-0 early, but Lopata’s 8-0 run across both sets proved decisive.

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Freshmen Deliver in the Clutch

With the match tied 2-2, it was two Longhorn freshmen who sealed the win.

At No. 5, Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz earned her first ranked victory with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over No. 91 Guillermina Grant. After trailing 3-1 in the first set, she forced a tiebreaker and surged ahead with a 4-0 run to take it. She then raced to a 5-0 lead in the second set and closed the match comfortably.

At No. 3, No. 93 Ashton Bowers clinched the team victory with a gritty 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over Mell Reasco. Bowers trailed 5-2 in the first set and 5-1 in the tiebreak, but stormed back with seven of the final eight points to take the set. She carried that momentum into the second, breaking early and sealing the win with another deuce-point break, prompting a full-team celebration on her court.

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One Match Unfinished

At No. 6, Vivian Ovrootsky held a one-set lead and trailed 1-0 in the third when the match was stopped. Ovrootsky won the first set 6-3, while Georgia’s Sofia Rojas took the second in a tiebreak, 7-6 (4).

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Up Next: Senior Day vs. South Carolina

Texas (14-9, 8-6 SEC) will close out the regular season at home on Sunday, April 13 at 12 p.m. CT against No. 21 South Carolina. The match will also serve as Senior Day for Sabina Zeynalova and Vivian Ovrootsky.

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Match Summary

#14 Texas 4, #1 Georgia 2
Singles – Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 5, 3

1. #1 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #56 Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) 6-1, 6-2

2. #55 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. #32 Carmen Herea (TEX) 6-2, 6-3

3. #93 Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. Mell Reasco (UGA) 7-6 (6), 6-3

4. #74 Eszter Meri (TEX) def. #42 Aysegul Mert (UGA) 6-1, 6-1

5. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) def. #91 Guillermina Grant (UGA) 7-6 (3), 6-2

6. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEX) vs. Sofia Rojas (UGA) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 0-1, unf.

Doubles – Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2

1. #5 Vidmanova/Reasco (UGA) def. #24 Anazagasty-Pursoo/Bowers (TEX) 6-2

2. Kempenaers-Pocz/Drugdova (TEX) def. #74 Grant/Lopata (UGA) 7-5

3. Zeynalova/Herea (TEX) def. #90 Mert/Mulberry (UGA) 6-3