ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After a statement victory at the No. 1 singles position on Saturday, sophomore Ksenia Kuznetsova has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
Kuznetsova has had a tremendous season as the team’s staple No. 2 singles player. She has gone 13-5 in the spring thus far and has compiled a 23-8 record in the 2018-2019 campaign.
In the match against No. 45 USF, Kuznetsova played with her normal doubles partner, Valeriya Zeleva at No. 1 doubles. However, Zeleva did not participate in the singles portion of the match, thrusting Kuznetsova into the spotlight at the top singles position.
The match was a war at singles No. 1. No. 89 Kuznetsova was matched up with No. 56 Ana Roman Dominguez, who had been solid at the top lineup spot and ranked as one of the best in the AAC all season long. Kuznetsova won a gritty first set 6-3 before winning the second set 6-2 to clinch the match and War On I-4 over the Knights’ number one rival.
Kuznetsova’s win over Roman Dominguez was more than just a normal victory. In the fall, Kuznetsova faced Roman Dominguez and suffered a 6-4, 6-1 loss. After the match, Kuznetsova mentioned that it felt good to avenge her loss. It was all that much sweeter that her win was the clincher. The win was a great one for Kuznetsova and boosted her seven spots in the latest Oracle/ITA rankings.
This was the second time this season that Kuznetsova has won the AAC Player of the Week. She won the award for the first time this season back on February 26. She went 3-0 in singles that week with a 6-0, 6-0 win as well as a win over Florida’s No. 2, who was ranked No. 33 at the time.
UP NEXT
The Knights will face either No. 8 Memphis or No. 9 Temple in the American Athletic Conference championship tournament. The match will take place at noon on Thursday at the UCF Collegiate Tennis Center at the USTA National Campus.
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