Matt Weir / The Collegian

Bulldogs’ tennis duo ranked No. 2 nationally and have their eyes set on the finals

From the National Indoor Doubles Championships to the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center at Fresno State, Anastasia Petukhova and Renata Kucerkova have taken a swing of dominance on courts they share.

The pair had success with being Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national champions, Northwest regional doubles champions, NCAA All-Americans, and first team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selections in both singles and doubles.

They are currently ranked No. 2 in the national doubles rankings after beginning the spring tennis season ranked No. 8.

Their most recent accomplishment was winning the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championships in the fall of 2008, where they went 12-1 in the tournament as a pair.

Players started strong and “complement each other”

Known as “A.P.” to her coaches, teammates and friends, Petukhova believes that teaming with Kucerkova for the last couple of years has helped the duo.

“We have our strengths set up and we know how we should play against different types of players,” Petukhova said. “We always find something that we can do well against.”

Petukhova enjoyed success early during her freshman year by having a win-loss record of 24-3 in singles competition and 21-8 in doubles.

She ranked as high as No. 66 in the national singles ranks and was a first team All-WAC selection in both singles and doubles during the 2006-2007 tennis seasons.

Kucerkova also enjoyed success early in her Fresno State tennis career by winning the 2007 WAC Freshman of the Year, and posting a 23-4 record in doubles. She went 19-4 in singles competition.

“We’ve been playing together for a while and we complement each other,” Kucerkova said. “We’re good on defense and offense as well.”

Kucerkova says that people began warming up to her while at the ITA championship.

“When we went to nationals last semester, there were people who were nice to me a little bit, even people outside of the campus,” Kucerkova said.

Strong doubles a Thibodeau trait

Petukhova believes that even after the championship run at the ITA doubles championships, her and Kucerkova still find ways to improve.

“With every match we play, we get better,” Petukhova said.

Their coach, Simon Thibodeau, has had a good tradition of doubles during his five years at Fresno State, with a former number one pair: Melanie Gloria and Tinesta Rowe in 2008.

“We’ve been successful with our doubles,” Thibodeau said. “What they’re doing [Petukhova and Kucerkova] is very impressive.”

Thibodeau has coached seven All-Americans, seven players who have appeared in a national title match and five WAC championships for his women’s tennis team.

Thibodeau acknowledges that he’s had a role in the development of both Petukhova and Kucerkova.

“It’s a little bit of both, work ethic and coaching,” Thibodeau said. “They’ve always been steady at the back; their defensive skills are very strong, they run so fast, they’re playing faster and aggressive. They’re very good in every phase of their play.”

Thibodeau also notices that the two have found ways to improve themselves when they’re on the tennis court.

“They’ve improved the most with their offensive skill,” Thibodeau said. “They’re a little bit more aggressive at the net than they were when they first started playing together.”

Aiming high

The duo has one challenge left to conquer – the NCAA tournament, where the furthest their entire team has reached is the semifinals.

Kucerkova and Petukhova want to help their team get over the hump soon.

“Four years in a row, we made the sweet sixteen,” Petukhova said. “We want to go to the elite eight.”

Both Kucerkova and Petukhova are juniors, which means they still have one more year of Bulldog tennis left in them.

“I think now, the more nationals we win, the better,” Petukhova said.

Whether it’s claiming conference championships, ITA national championships, or just playing at a high level inside the Wathen Center, Kucerkova just wants to reach new heights with her teammate Petukhova.

“We want to go as far as we can,” Kucerkova said.

Check out the duo

The No. 15 tennis team plays at the Wathen Center on campus here at Fresno State, and the games are free for students. Check out the upcoming dates

̢ۢ Feb. 28 v. Pacific
̢ۢ March 11 v. Penn
̢ۢ March 12 v. TCU
̢ۢ March 14 v. Arizona
̢ۢ March 15 v. Sac State