STILLWATER, Okla. -- The 27th-ranked University of Texas men's tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision in its conference opener, losing to 11th-ranked Oklahoma State at DeBois Tennis Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Longhorns' two points were recorded by freshman Milan Mihailovic (Nis, Serbia) and sophomore Garrett Snyder (Newport Beach, Calif.) at Nos. 4 and 6 singles.
Texas (8-4, 0-1 Big 12) opened the match with a win at the top of the doubles lineup where the 53rd-ranked tandem of junior Callum Beale (Adelaide, Australia) and freshman Travis Helgeson (Overland Park., Kan.) defeated Boris Kuharic and Felipe Diaz, ranked 47th nationally, 8-2. The Longhorn duo improved to 4-2 in conference action.
The Cowboys (14-4, 4-2 Big 12) answered with wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles to clinch the first point of the match.
In singles, Snyder evened the score at 1-1 after his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Diaz at the sixth spot. The sophomore is a perfect 4-0 in matches since his dual debut against UC-Irvine on March 16.
The Longhorns continued to battle in singles but were unable to record their first conference victory as they lost four consecutive matches in close decisions. Junior Roger Gubser (Laredo, Texas), ranked 65th in the nation, was upset by Kuharic 7-6, 6-4 at No. 3 singles, and 25th-ranked Beale was defeated by 30th-ranked Mark Van Elden 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1. Gubser is now 5-5 in duals, while Beale is 10-2. Meanwhile, Helgeson posted just his third loss of the season as he fell to Tomas Bohunicky 6-4, 7-6 at the second spot.
OSU scored its final point of the match at No. 5 where sophomore Hubert Chodkiewicz (Corpus Christi, Texas) split the first two sets with Artie Burmistrau 5-7, 6-4, but lost the super tiebreaker, 10-3. Chodkiewicz now boasts a 7-5 record on the season.
Mihailovic closed out the match with an identical 7-6, 7-6 score over Daniel Byrnes at the fourth spot, and improved his dual record to 8-2.
The Texas men continue conference play on Sunday, April 3 when they face Oklahoma at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Okla. First serve is set for noon Central.
Singles (Order of finish: 6, 3, 1, 2*, 5, 4)
1. Mark Van Elden (OSU) def. Callum Beale (UT) 7-5, 6-3
2. Tomas Bohunicky (OSU) def. Travis Helgeson (UT) 6-4, 7-6 (2)
3. Boris Kuharic (OSU) def. Roger Gubser (UT) 7-6, 6-4
4. Milan Mihailovic (UT) def. Daniel Byrnes (OSU) 7-6, 7-6 (4)
5. Artie Burmistrau (OSU) def. Hubert Chodkiewicz (UT) 5-7, 6-4, (10-3)
6. Garrett Snyder (UT) def. Felipe Diaz (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles (Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*)
1. Beale/Helgeson (UT) def. Kuharic/Diaz (OSU) 8-2
2. Van Elden/Byrnes (OSU) def. Gubser/Chodkiewicz (UT) 9-8 (5)
3. Bohunicky/Burmistrau (OSU) def. Snyder/Luis Diaz Barriga (UT) 8-4
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