No. 23 Men's Tennis posts 5-2 victory over Arkansas in home opener
AUSTIN, Texas -- The 23rd-ranked University of Texas men's tennis team battled back from a 1-0 deficit after doubles to win five singles matches en route to a 5-2 victory over 36th-ranked Arkansas in its home opener at Penick-Allison Tennis Center on Saturday, Feb. 27. "It was great to finally get the chance to play at home," head coach Michael Center said. "We encountered some adversity in doubles, but the players kept battling and found a way to win." Texas (4-1) opened the dual with a win at No. 3 doubles as the duo of freshman Luis Diaz Barriga (Cordoba, Mexico) and sophomore Garrett Snyder (Newport Beach. Calif.) posted an 8-3 mark over Talley Parker and Andrei Nicoara. Arkansas then recorded an 8-3 win at the top of the lineup and clinched the doubles point at the No. 2 spot as the tandem of Imraan Ismail and Matt Roberts defeated sophomore Hubert Chodkiewicz (Corpus Christi, Texas) and freshman Travis Helgeson (Overland Park, Kan.) in a close 9-8 decision. The Longhorns would respond in singles beginning with Barriga whose 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Jimmy Khougassian at No. 6 evened the score at 1-1. Freshman Milan Mihailovic (Nis, Serbia) and Beale would add to Texas' score with wins at the fourth and first positions, respectively. Mihailovic defeated Simpson 7-6, 6-4 and Beale, who is ranked 62nd nationally in singles, was victorious over Gajjar, 7-6, 6-2. The match was clinched by the relentless play of Gubser, ranked 73rd nationally, who downed Adrian Zguns, 6-2, 7-6 at the No. 2 position. Arkansas picked up one more win in singles before Helgeson, ranked 39th in the nation, closed out singles play with a 3-6, 7-6, 10-6 victory at the third spot in the lineup. Texas returns to action on Saturday, March 5 for a doubleheader against South Florida and Abilene Christian. First serve is set for 1 p.m. at Penick-Allison Tennis Center. #23 Texas 5, #36 Arkansas 2 Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*)
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