Razorbacks Win Road Finale At Vanderbilt
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Making his first Southeastern Conference appearance of the year, Juan Marino notched the clinching point at No. 6 singles as the Arkansas men’s tennis team won at Vanderbilt by a score of 5-2 Friday evening. With the victory, the No. 16 Razorbacks improved to 19-5 (7-3 SEC) this season.
Although Arkansas lost the doubles point in heartbreaking fashion – falling to the Commodores in two match-deciding tiebreakers – the team responded with five singles victories to finish off Vanderbilt.
“Again we competed and played very well,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “Although we were close to winning the doubles, we handled and responded to the loss very well. The team was composed and sharp in singles, and Juan was clutch for us today.”
With the Razorbacks heading back home for a pair of matches to end the season, it was the last true road competition for Arkansas before the SEC Tournament from April 20-24 in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Razorbacks will up for the challenge, as the team capped the road portion of its schedule with four consecutive wins and a 7-3 record away from George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.
QUICK HITS
• The No. 2 doubles duo of Jose Salazar and Adam Sanjurjo defeated Vanderbilt’s Tate Allwardt and Baker Newman for the fourth win in their last five decisions.
• No. 28 Mike Redlicki beat No. 37 Daniel Valent in straight sets to improve to 9-3 against ranked opponents this season. He has defeated three consecutive singles opponents ranked in the top 50 and halted Valent’s five-match winning streak.
• No. 103 Jose Salazar beat No. 116 Cameron Klinger in three sets for the fifth win in his last six matches. He has played in a team-high nine three-set matches and holds a 6-3 record in such results.
• Looking for a ninth consecutive victory, Giammarco Micolani lost the first set to Baker Newman. But Micolani bounced back, winning the final two sets while dropping only two games in the process. Micolani has not lost a singles match since March 6 at Tennessee.
• Adam Sanjurjo got Arkansas on the board with a two-set win against Kris Yee at the No. 5 spot. Sanjurjo has won consecutive straight-set matches while dropping only 10 games over those last two victories.
• Juan Marino rewarded head coach Andy Jackson’s decision to insert him in the lineup against an SEC opponent for the first time this season by notching a three-set win over Tate Allwardt. It was Marino’s first match to go the distance this season, as well as his first clincher.
TODAY’S RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 16 Rhys Johnson/Cameron Klinger (VU) def. No. 25 Giammarco Micolani/Mike Redlicki (AR) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Jose Salazar/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Tate Allwardt/Baker Newman (VU) 6-4
3. Pen Binet/Daniel Valent (VU) def. Santiago Munoz/Johan den Toom (AR) 7-6 (7-5)
SINGLES
1. No. 28 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. No. 37 Daniel Valent (VU) 6-3, 6-4
2. No. 103 Jose Salazar (AR) def. No. 116 Cameron Klinger (VU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
3. Rhys Johnson (VU) def. Santiago Munoz (AR) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Giammarco Micolani (AR) def. Baker Newman (VU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
5. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Kris Yee (VU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Juan Marino (AR) def. Tate Allwardt (VU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,1,2,6,4,3)
