ORLANDO, Fla. – Kansas women’s tennis junior Kyoka Kubo dominated Duke’s Irina Balus 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Championship at USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, Thursday.
 
Kubo, who has won over many fans with the use of an occasional underhand serve, will face Berta Passola-Folch of California in the quarterfinals Friday at 9 a.m. (Central). Kubo is the first Jayhawk since Kylie Hunt in 1996 to advance to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals.
 
In advancing to the Round of 16, Kubo posted a come-from-behind three-set win against Mia Yamakita of Vanderbilt in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. By advancing to the events round of 16, Kubo earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American status, becoming the first Kansas ITA All-American since two-time All-American Anastasia Rychagova in 2019. Rychagova also was a 2017 ITA All-American.
 
Kubo, from Yokohama, Japan, lost the first set to Yamakita, 6-3, and was trailing 5-3 in the second before mounting a comeback where she sent the second set into a 6-6 tiebreaker. Kubo would win the tiebreaker, 7-5, forcing a third and deciding set which she won 6-3, advancing to the round of 16.
 
On Tuesday, Nov. 18, in the Round of 64, Kubo also won a three-set match defeating Kritina Paskauskas of Alabama (6-1, 4-6, 6-2).
 
For the NCAA Championships singles bracket one can go here with live scoring here.
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