More than 1,000 miles from home in Greenville, South Carolina, the Longhorns started strong at the Debbie Southern Fall Classic on Friday, winning all six of their respective singles draws. The solid singles play continued through the weekend. 

The Longhorns impressed once again on Saturday, sending sophomore Petra Granic, freshman Bojana Markovic, senior Dani Wagland and freshman Marta Perez-Mur into the finals on Sunday. Texas also fared well in doubles, as Wagland and Perez-Mur secured fifth place, defeating Furman 8-1. 

Texas’ group is more experienced than last year, but still features two standout freshmen, Markovic of Serbia and Perez-Mur of Spain. The pair looked skilled beyond their years throughout the tournament, advancing through the competition into Sunday.

Heading into Sunday’s matches, Granic — ranked No. 39 in the ITA preseason singles rankings — looked to finish strong after defeating No. 91 sophomore Anna Vrbenska and No. 46 junior Emma Davis.

Granic’s skillful play early in the season might be a good indicator of her potential. As a freshman last season, Granic posted a 24–9 singles record, garnering her an All-Big 12 singles selection.   

Following the team’s success from Friday, head coach Howard Joffe was impressed with the play of his team.

“Petra, Bojana, Dani and Marta all collected wins over excellent opposition,” Joffe said. “Hopefully we can finish strong in this tournament tomorrow.”

Texas claimed two singles titles to finish the tournament on Sunday. Wagland and Perez-Mur won their respective singles draws, going undefeated. Perez-Mur’s victory was the first singles title of her collegiate career. 

“This was an extremely strong showing for Texas,” Joffe said. “Marta Perez-Mur and Dani Wagland won their draws, and we were represented in four finals. It feels very good to see a Texas team with some teeth and depth. Naturally, we will work hard to keep improving as we move on to our next event.”