Arkansas Finishes Play at USTA 15K Fayetteville Futures

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nine members of the Arkansas men’s tennis team completed play in the ITF 15K Fayetteville as part of the USTA Futures this past week at the Billingsley Tennis Center. Sophomore Gerard Planelles Ripoll made the deepest run in the event, grabbing two wins and advancing to the Quarterfinals of the singles main draw.

Three Razorbacks automatically qualified for the singles main draw including Senior Melvin Manuel and sophomores Gerard Planelles Ripoll and Benedikt Emesz. Planelles Ripoll defeated Luc Fomba 7-5, 6-3 in the Round of 32 on Wednesday. In the next round, Planelles Ripoll took down Olle Wallin in three hard-fought sets before dropping his Quarterfinal match to Noah Schachter in three sets on Friday. Manuel and Emesz both fell in their opening round matches in straight sets on Wednesday.

Five Hogs started out the tournament in the singles qualifying draw, with seniors Alan Sau Franco and Foster Rogers, sophomore Božo Barun, and freshman Connor Smillie falling in their opening round matches on Monday. Senior Stefanos Savva advanced to the 2nd round of the qualifying draw after a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Adrien Burdet. Savva dropped his match in the next round on Tuesday to Luis Carlos Alvarez Valdes in straight sets.

Arkansas had two doubles teams competing in the main draw as graduate Jared Horwood teamed up with Smillie while Manuel and Sau Franco played together for the second consecutive tournament. Both duos went the distance in their lone matches in Fayetteville, with Horwood/Smille dropping their match to Pawlak/Ribero 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-10, while Manuel/Sau Franco fell 6-3, 5-7, 2-10 to Kumar/Schachter.

Members of the Arkansas men’s tennis team will continue the fall season as they travel back to the Lone Star State for the PTT 25K Fort Worth from November 13-19 before closing out the fall in Winston-Salem, N.C. from November 26-December 3.

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