Razorbacks Take Two Wins in Home Opener
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In head coach Jay Udwadia’s coaching debut at Arkansas, the men’s tennis team (4-0) started out its home season with two wins in a doubleheader against Wichita State and Lamar.
“The atmosphere was great. It was fun for the team to play in front of that crowd for the first home match. There were a little bit of jitters there in the beginning, but we took care of business at the end against a scrappy Wichita State team, said head coach Jay Udwadia. “The second match, it was nice to play against a former Razorback, Scott Shankles. I have a lot of respect for him and his team. I thought we loosened up and enjoyed the win in front of a great home crowd.”
In the first match, the Razorbacks squared off with a tough opponent in the Wichita State Shockers. On court one, Melvin Manuel and Stefanos Savva took a quick 6-1 victory over WSU’s Minarik/Richards to put the Hogs one away from the doubles point. Juniors Adrien Burdet and Alan Sau Franco finished the job on court two with a 6-4 win to put Arkansas up 1-0.
Arkansas continued to roll into singles play with Melvin Manuel striking first for the Hogs, taking court three with a straight set 6-4, 6-1 win. The Shockers were able to get a point on the board with a win on court one, but Foster Rogers put the Hogs one away with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court six. On court five, freshman Gerard Planelles Ripoll clinched the win in three sets 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
In the second match of the day, the Razorbacks won the doubles point against Lamar with wins on courts two and three. Melvin Manuel and Foster Rogers closed out doubles with a 6-3 win to put the Razorbacks at a 1-0 advantage heading into singles play.
Planelles Ripoll took his second win of the day, earning the first singles point for Arkansas on court four defeating Lamar’s Omori-Cowie 6-1, 6-2. Adrien Burdet quickly followed on court two with a straight set 6-2, 6-2 win over his Redbirds opponent to put Arkansas within one. On court three, Sau Franco clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-4 victory to move the Hogs to 4-0 this season.
The Razorbacks return to Billingsley Tennis Center on Wednesday, January 25 where they take on Oral Roberts at 5 p.m. CT.
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