In its first home meet of the 2020 campaign, the Kansas tennis team recorded a 7-0 win over Drake on Saturday evening at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.

As was the case last season, No. 19 Kansas dominated doubles to notch the opening point of the match. Malkia Ngounoue and Luniuska Delgado recorded a 6-3 win over Liza Petushkova and Joely Lomas. Sonia Smagina and Vasiliki Karvouni then claimed the doubles match point with a 6-0 win over Daria Walczak and Carmen Palumbo.

All six KU players then earned victories in singles play. Smagina, who is ranked No. 63 in the nation, bested Petushkova, 6-0, 6-1. Ngounoue, also ranked in the top-100 at No. 93, defeated Palumbo, 6-3, 6-1. Delgado, Carmen Roxana Manu and Karvouni all claimed their first dual match as Jayhawks. Maria Toran Ribes netted KU’s final point of the night as she triumphed over Megan Webb, 6-3, 6-2.

“Today was a nice start to our season,” Kansas head coach Todd Chapman said in a team release. “We definitely had to battle some nerves as it was four of our players’ first-team match. I thought we did a good job in singles of settling, pushing the nerves aside and controlling the match. We now will get some rest and get ready for a good Wichita State team on a quick turnaround.”