Iowa State sophomore Thasaporn Naklo is the first player in school history to win a match in the NCAA singles tournament. With the win, Naklo punched her ticket to the next round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

Although she started slow, Naklo battled back from an 0-2 deficit to take control of the match, beating Virginia’s Elaine Chervinsky. The games in her first set were a back-and-forth battle, but her second set was much more dominant.

Slow start, dominant finish

Naklo struggled early in the first set, falling to an 0-2 deficit and struggling to find a rhythm. She sent two serves into the net, showing early signs of frustration as Chervinsky took the lead.

In each game, Naklo consistently found herself trying to battle back from behind. As the first set progressed, Naklo closed the gap and took a 4-3 lead.

After closing the gap, Naklo controlled the rest of the match. While each game in the first set was tightly contested, she won 6-4. Naklo took control of the second set early and never lost the lead, winning 6-2 and clinching her spot in the Round of 32 for the first time in school history.

History made for Cyclone Tennis

Naklo’s postseason run accentuates another historic season for Iowa State tennis.

She made history as the first Cyclone to compete in the NCAA Singles Championships. She was also the first Iowa State women’s tennis player to earn an at-large bid, ranked No. 56 entering the tournament.

With her win Monday night, Naklo will be the first Cyclone to compete in the second round of the NCAA Singles Championships. Her historic tournament run will continue to break program boundaries with each win she secures.

Naklo’s postseason run, coupled with Iowa State’s second NCAA tournament appearance in program history, makes for another historic postseason for Iowa State tennis.

Up next

Looking forward, Naklo will face NC State sophomore Abigail Rencheli in the Round of 32. In her previous match, Rencheli beat Alabama’s Loudmilla Bencheikh in a straight-sets win.

Ranked No. 48, Rencheli will be a more challenging opponent in the second round, ranked eight spots above Naklo. Rencheli is also ranked 24 spots ahead of Chervinsky.

Both Naklo and Rencheli had straight-set wins in their NCAA Singles Championships debut. The second-round match should be more closely contested, as each player will face a significantly improved opponent based on the rankings.

Naklo will face Rencheli on Tuesday. The match will be live-streamed on the TennisOne app.