Go Bears!
GO Bears!
Go Bears!
Women's Tennis' Kovac Takes Title at ITA Southwest Regional
Baylor junior wins ninth-straight match to end the fall season.
Junior Katja Kovac took top honors at the ITA Southwest Regional in the final tournament of the fall.

Junior Katja Kovac took top honors at the ITA Southwest Regional in the final tournament of the fall.

Nov. 7, 2000

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Baylor women's tennis player Katja Kovac defeated teammate ninth-ranked No. 2 seed Chin Bee Khoo of Arkansas in the finals on Tuesday to win the individual title at the ITA Southwest Regional, hosted by Texas A&M.

Kovac, ranked No. 51 and the No. 7 seed in the regional, swept easily past Khoo, winning 6-1, 6-2. The Baylor junior even fought through a 40-minute rain delay during the match, leading 6-1, 4-1.

The win was Kovac's ninth straight, including five wins in the regional tournament. Only twice this fall has she even been taken to three sets as she compiled a 15-5 record.

"She built the way a champion has to, getting up for every match," head coach Dave Luedtke said. "The last three of the wins all came against top-35 players and were very convincing wins."

Kovac was the Bears' third finalist at the ITA Regional in four years (Jahnavi Parekh in 1999, Barbara Navarro in 1997), and is the first Baylor men's or women's player to win the individual title. Kovac reached the quarterfinals as a freshman in 1998 and again as a sophomore in 1999, but lost to players from Texas in each year.

"Beating Uhlirova [of Texas] in the quarterfinals yesterday was the biggest breakthrough for Katja that we could have asked for," Luedtke said. "She's capable of this kind of play, match-in and match-out."

Both Kovac and Parekh qualified for the ITA National Indoor Tournament in February.

The tournament was the last of the fall for the Baylor women. They will return to play Jan. 27 as they host Louisiana-Monroe at 9:30 a.m. and Lamar at 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 7
Finals
#51 Katja Kovac, BU, def. #9 Chin Bee Khoo, Arkansas, 6-1, 6-2