NORFOLK, Va. - Kira Matushkina placed second overall in the ITF Women’s World Tennis
Tour in Norman, Oklahoma, after taking down numerous World ranked professional opponents.
Last year’s Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and ODU’s No. 5 singles player, Matushkina qualified for the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour following wins over USA’s Ava Catanzarite (6-1, 6-3) and Benin’s Gloriana Nahum (6-3, 6-1).
"Kira's performance in Norman was fantastic. Kira is an example of the hard workput in bu our players to achieve success at the professional level," ODU Women's Tennis Head Coach Dominic Manilla said. "Achieving these types of results as a sophomore showcase our program as what we strive for it to be; a program that develops professional tennis players. We are extremely proud of Kira's results and I'm confident that this is just the beginning of her journey."
Matushkina defeated Julia Garcia (MEX) 6-3, 7-6 in round one on Oct. 31 after a day of rest.
She then found herself victorious against Daria Kuczer (POL) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in round two,
who is ranked 463 in the world.
In the quarterfinals, Matushkina took on Jessica Failla (USA), who’s ranked 435th
in the world, and won 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Nov. 2. The following day, Matushkina swept 207th
ranked Sohyun Park (KOR) with 6-3, 6-3 scores, which clinched a spot for her in the finals.
Despite her efforts, Matushkina would fall to USA’s Anna Rogers with 6-4, 6-3 scores at the
end of the tournament on Nov. 3. Rogers is ranked 516 in the world.
The tournament featured numerous professional players, including wins delivered by Matushkina.
Following the Tour, Matushkina was ranked 404 in the ITF singles rankings.