Sharapova Named AAC Player of the Week

Providence, R.I. (SMU) – SMU’s Dasha Sharapova has been named the American Athletic Conference Female Tennis Player of the Week after going 5-0 combined in singles and doubles against Nevada, Northwestern State, and No. 36 Oklahoma in the last week.

Sharapova’s singles win against Oklahoma’s Mimi Fotopoulos (6-3, 2-6, 6-2) from the No. 4 position clinched Mustangs’ 4-3 victory. That win kept SMU and Sharapova undefeated on the season with the team moving to 6-0 and Sharapova moving to 5-0.

In the win against Oklahoma, Sharapova also helped secure the doubles point from the No. 2 spot with partner Ana Perez-Lopez by winning their match 7-5 over Fotopoulos and Christiana Brigante.

Sharapova notched a singles win against Nevada’s Adriana Gergelyova the next day from the No. 3 singles line. This victory came in comeback fashion after she dropped the first set 6-1, she rallied back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 in the Mustangs’ 6-1 win over the Wolfpack.

Back on Feb. 8 against Northwestern State, Sharapova and Perez-Lopez won their doubles match from the No. 2 position 6-0 and Sharapova won from the No. 4 singles spot 6-1, 6-3. Sharapova is the only one on the Mustangs’ roster without a loss in singles and doubles competition as she is 6-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles.

Sharapova is now the second SMU women’s tennis player to win the Conference Female Player of the Week in their three weeks of competition after Hristina Dishkova won the honor two weeks ago. SMU’s next match won’t be until Feb. 25 when they travel to TCU for their first road match and their next home match will be on Feb. 28 as they host conference foe UConn.