Daria Panova’s quest for an NCAA Individual Tennis Championship was cut short Monday when Middle Tennessee State’s Manon Kruse upset her, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the first round of the NCAA Individual Championships in Athens, Ga.
Panova, the 12th-ranked player in the nation, started to falter in the second set after the score was tied at four. The 41st-ranked Kruse took control after that, losing only one game the rest of the match.
“I had a chance in the second set when it was tied at four, but I didn’t serve well the rest of the match,” Panova said.
Panova and Kruse had to wait for the match to start because an earlier pairing had run long. That, Panova said, may have come into play in her loss.
“I waited a long time before my match and I think that kind of mentally exhausted me,” Panova said.
Head coach Nils Schyllander said Panova made just a few mistakes.
“At this level and as a collegiate athlete just a few mistakes will get you,” Schyllander said.
The loss leaves the junior from Moscow tied with Krissy Barger on top of the Oregon all-time singles victories list with 72.
The loss also denies Panova the chance to break her own single-season record in victories. Panova’s 32 wins ties her record-breaking total from last season.
Panova’s teammate, Dominika Dieskova, also made an early exit from the tournament, losing to Stanford’s Theresa Logar, 6-2, 6-1.
Dieskova, the first freshman ever to make it to the NCAA tournament for Oregon, was up 2-1 in the first set and had a break point, but couldn’t convert on the opportunity.
Logar took control from there, losing only two more games the rest of the match.
“In the first set I had some chances, but she played solid tennis and didn’t make any mistakes,” Dieskova said.
Schyllander believes the familiarity of the courts and her recent play helped keep Logar fresh. Logar helped Stanford win the NCAA team tournament — also held in Athens — on Sunday.
“She’s been playing on these courts for the last three days, so I think that definitely helped,” Schyllander said.

Kost will head to NCAAs
Oregon’s Manuel Kost’s hopes for a second consecutive trip came true Monday. It was announced he will participate in the NCAA Individual Tournament, beginning Wednesday.
Kost, ranked 66th in the country, was announced as an alternate two weeks ago, but was named part of the 64-man field on Monday.
The tournament pairings will be announced later today and will determine when and whom Kost and teammate Sven Swinnen will play on Wednesday.