Ratnika Batra collected three wins over the weekend in Southern California, advancing to the qualifying round of the ITA All-American Championships, one of three national championship events on the college tennis calendar. 

Batra did what the Texas football team could not do against Ole Miss this season: win. The freshman from New Delhi, India beat Erin Stephens in straight sets to start her Saturday.

In her second match, Batra faced University of Southern California’s Kaitlyn Christian, ranked No. 86 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. She quickly
defeated the Trojan tennis player (6-2, 6-1) to advance to the pre-qualifying round of 16.

Batra played against Big 12 foe No. 116 Nikki Sanders of Texas Tech on Sunday. Batra outlasted Sanders in two long, competitive sets (7-5, 7-6), advancing to the qualifying draw.

“It was a gritty performance from Ratnika today,” assistant coach Darija Klaic said.  “Ratnika played flawlessly on Saturday, but today was a different day and a different story, but Ratnika managed to keep the match on track. She fought through it all and was the last one standing at the end of a tough battle.”

With two wins over ranked opponents, Batra improved to 4-1 in singles competition. Her next match is Tuesday at the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.