Coming off a loss to its last ranked opponent and eyeing the first game of a two-game Southeastern Conference road trip, No. 12 Texas A&M men’s tennis was trounced by No. 39 Arkansas, 4-1.
All season, the Aggies have found the most success on the courts when they can get off to a quick start and claim the doubles point. But the Razorbacks asserted their will first. The Hogs leaned on the senior pairing of Božo Barun and Benni Emesz to roll through sophomore Tiago Pires and senior JC Roddick 6-3, easily taking control of the match, 1-0.
The hog-tied Aggies continued to struggle in singles, falling on Court 4 to double the Razorbacks’ advantage. Arkansas’ European contingent continued to thrive with No. 102 freshman Jakub Vrba taking out senior Luke Casper for the first singles point in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
A flicker of hope briefly appeared for A&M when Pires extended his winning streak to four with a straight-sets victory over Croatian-born junior Marino Jakic. Pires used his reliable volley package to win the competitive point, 6-3, 6-4.
The Razorbacks quickly extinguished the flame of good feeling for the Aggies with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win from Barun over A&M’s ace, No. 37 Roddick. The San Antonio native’s typical consistency from the backline was no match for the 6-foot-1 Croatian who has been a kingslayer throughout his career, holding three ranked wins in singles and six in doubles a year ago.
Senior Alan Magadan attempted to pull off a minor miracle and keep the Maroon and White’s dreams alive after dropping the first set to Lukas Palovic. The veteran was in the midst of a fiery 5-4 second set before Arkansas clinched it on Court 6.
Similarly, junior Togan Tokac was in the process of a last-ditch effort to keep A&M above water. Taking on Emesz on Court 5, the duo split the first two sets, 3-6, 6-4. Before the winner-take-all third set could finish a game, the Hogs were already tasting the sweet nectar of victory.
Arkansas senior Arthur Bellegy slammed the door shut for any dreams of an A&M comeback bid with a singles victory on Court 6 over senior Giulio Perego, 6-2, 6-4, securing the upset for the Razorbacks. Arkansas’ win pushes it to 2-1 in the SEC, while the Aggies fall to 1-1.
The Aggies will look to get back on track in conference play with another road trip to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the No. 26 Oklahoma Sooners at the Headington Family Tennis Center on Sunday, March 2, with first serve set for noon.
