Anastasia Abbagnato Named SEC Freshman of the Week After Breakout Performance
Texas Women’s Tennis has a rising star on its hands-and the SEC is officially taking notice. Freshman Anastasia Abbagnato has been named the SEC Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Week, a well-earned recognition after a standout showing at the ITA National Indoor Championships. It’s the first weekly conference honor of her young career, and she becomes the second Longhorn in as many weeks to take home the award, following teammate Elizabeth Ionescu.
Abbagnato didn’t just show flashes of potential-she delivered in big moments. Over the course of the week, she posted a combined 5-1 record across singles and doubles, notching four wins over ranked opponents.
That includes three ranked singles victories and a top-50 doubles win, helping Texas secure back-to-back wins over top-12 teams in No. 12 Vanderbilt and No.
11 Duke. Her efforts were pivotal in both matchups, especially following a narrow 4-3 loss to No.
6 Oklahoma to open the tournament.
Let’s break down her singles run, which was nothing short of impressive. Competing at the No. 2 spot, Abbagnato opened with a straight-sets win over No.
12 Julia Garcia Ruiz of Oklahoma (6-4, 6-2), setting the tone early despite the team’s close loss. She followed that up with a gritty, come-from-behind three-set win over No.
40 Bridget Stammel of Vanderbilt (3-6, 7-5, 7-6 [4]), a match that not only tested her resilience but also clinched the overall team victory for Texas. Then came another three-set battle, this time against No.
120 Liv Hovde of Duke (6-3, 6-7 [5], 6-3), where Abbagnato’s win flipped the momentum and gave the Longhorns their first lead in the match after trailing 2-0.
What makes this even more impressive? She’s doing all of this just weeks into her college career, having joined the program in January.
In doubles, Abbagnato showed her versatility and adaptability. She began the week partnered with Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo, and the duo rolled to a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles against Oklahoma’s Evialina Laskevich and Roisin Gilheany.
But after Anazagasty-Pursoo suffered an injury, Abbagnato didn’t miss a beat. She teamed up with fellow freshman Mathilde Ngijol-Carré for the first time and immediately made an impact, taking down No.
49 Mia Yamakita and Erin Pearce at the No. 3 spot. Their chemistry clicked quickly, even if their next match-against Duke’s Aspen Schuman and Irina Balus-ended in a narrow tiebreak defeat after they had led late by a break.
All told, Abbagnato now holds a 4-1 record in both singles and doubles since arriving in Austin. That’s not just a solid start-it’s a statement.
For Texas, it’s another sign that this freshman class is built to compete on the national stage. And for Abbagnato, it’s likely just the beginning.