Freshman Malaika Rapolu has proven herself both on and off the tennis court since stepping foot on campus at The University of Texas at Austin.
Through Rapolu’s laser focus Thursday, the No. 2 Longhorns swept the UTSA Roadrunners in a 7-0 victory with wins on every court at the Texas Tennis Center.
Rapolu, a product of Cedar Park, Texas, managed to complete her required high school academic work a year early in 2020, and moved up a grade to join her current stellar teammates in the class of 2024. Although much younger than her opponents and teammates, Rapolu continues to secure win after win, undaunted by any age difference on the court.
Rapolu’s impressive time spent playing junior tennis awarded her a No. 2 rank in the state of Texas and a No. 8 national ranking by the Tennis Recruiting Network. The talented young player stood out as a blue-chip recruit for Texas’ No. 1 ranked 2020 recruiting class.
In a doubles match against the UTSA freshman Alexandra Weir and junior Catalina Cabrique, freshman duo Rapolu and Charlotte Chavatipon made quick work of their opponents in a perfect 6-0 victory.
The duo played for the first time together in doubles in dual-match play, but in just one set, young stars Rapolu and Chavatipon continued to live up to the hype that has surrounded their class all season long. Cool and collected, the Longhorn freshmen made absolutely no mistakes in the Longhorns’ first win of the day.
On court 4, Rapolu continued to maintain a level head in her singles match against UTSA’s Cabrique. The junior from Bogotá, Colombia was audibly frustrated with Rapolu’s steady drive, letting out an exclamation in Spanish after her volley landed out of play.
The win, Rapolu’s 11th of the season, clinched the win for Texas. The freshman holds an impressive 11-2 singles record and improved to 4-1 overall in dual-match singles.
Chavatipon notched her 12th win right after Rapolu, moving to 12-1 in singles and 9-1 in dual-match play.
On the backs of two freshmen, the Longhorns also moved to 9-1 in dual-match play in the win. Texas faces No. 15 Baylor in a non-conference match Saturday, and the team will need everything they can get from Rapolu as Texas faces a key Big 12 rival.
Rapolu’s obvious ability to excel in the classroom has provided her a leg up on the tennis court. Although originally a grade below her current peers, Rapolu constantly appears unfazed regardless of whatever her opponents send her way.
