Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Valparaiso
Racers Split Weekend Series at Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts
4/13/2026 1:05:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MURRAY, Ky. Â - Murray State split a pair of home matches at the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts this weekend, bouncing back from a doubles deficit to defeat Valparaiso on Saturday before dropping a narrow contest to UIC on Sunday.
On Saturday, the Racers swept all six singles matches to secure a 6-1 victory over Valparaiso. After the Beacons claimed the doubles point, Valeria Chaikovskaia sparked the comeback at the No. 1 spot with a gritty 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 win over Moira Elle. Yuna Kadowaki (6-0, 6-3), Sofia Issakova (6-1, 6-2), and Rebecca Widan (6-1, 6-4) followed with straight-set victories. Yu Kikawa and Bruna Melato also added three-set wins to complete the dominant singles performance.
The momentum shifted on Sunday as Murray State fell 4-3 to UIC. The Racers opened the match strong by clinching the doubles point, led by a 6-4 win from Chaikovskaia and Melato at the top flight and a 6-1 victory from Kadowaki and Kikawa at No. 2. However, the Flames took control in singles play, winning four of the six matches to edge out the win.
Chaikovskaia and Widan finished the weekend as the only Racers undefeated in singles play. Chaikovskaia earned a 6-0, 6-2 win at the No. 1 position on Sunday, while Widan secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 6. Despite those wins, UIC swept the middle of the lineup to claim the overall match.
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Players Mentioned
