Hogs Start Hot at ITA Central Region Championships
NORMAN, Okla. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team completed the second day of the ITA Central Region Championships with six Razorbacks clinching their spot in the singles Round of 32 while two doubles pairs advanced to the Round of 16 main draw.
The Hogs began the day with doubles play as two Razorbacks pairings took the court in the Round of 64, with two other’s earning byes into the Round of 32. No. 25 Connor Smillie/Jakub Vrba earned their spot in the next round with an 8-2 win against Pham/Valentine (Oklahoma State). The tandem of No. 50 Eric Padgham/Ben Weintraub advanced after an 8-4 victory over Scheglowski/Trevey (Omaha), 8-4 to set up a match with Gokpinar/Kobelt (Oklahoma State).
The Razorbacks closed the day with eight players competing in the singles main draw with six advancing to the next round. No. 27 Lukas Palovic cruised to a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Sam Reeve (Memphis) in the Round of 64 while Elicha Navas earned a win over Rodrigo Guijarro Martin (Oral Roberts), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. No. 127 Vrba continued his good start to the fall season by beating Joan Torres Espinosa (Nebraska), 7-6 (4), 6-2 to advance.
In terms of the newcomers to the team, all three earned victories to earn a berth into the Round of 32. Arsene Pougault defeated Thomas Nicholas Gadecki (Oklahoma State) in straight-sets, Padgham came back to defeat Kotaro Matsumura (North Dakota), 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 and Weintraub gained a win over Christian Winstead (Drake), 6-4, 6-1.
Day Two Results
Singles Main Draw
R64: No. 27 Palovic (Arkansas) def. Reeve (Memphis), 7-5, 6-2
R64: No. 127 Vrba (Arkansas) def. Torres Espinosa (Nebraska), 7-6 (4), 6-2
R64: Elicha Navas (Arkansas) def. Guijarro Martin (Oral Roberts), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
R64: Padgham (Arkansas) def. Matsumura (North Dakota), 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
R64: Pougault (Arkansas) def. Gadecki (Oklahoma State), 6-2, 7-5
R64: Weintraub (Arkansas) def. Winstead (Drake), 6-4, 6-1
R64: Harazaki (Oklahoma) def. Marino (Arkansas), 7-5, 6-3
R64: Ferraz Sandoval Carvalho (Memphis) def. Smillie (Arkansas), 7-6 (4), 7-5
Doubles Main Draw
R64: Marino/Elicha Navas (Arkansas) def. Lundell/Taylor (Nebraska), 8-6
R64:Palovic/Pougault (Arkansas) def. Castellanos/Ochoa (Saint Louis), 8-2
R32: No. 9 Lacides/Nhavene (Oklahoma) def. Marino/Elicha Navas (Arkansas), 8-7 (2)
R32: No. 50 Padgham/Weintraub (Arkansas) def. Scheglowski/Trevey (Omaha), 8-4
R32: Melero/Alvarez Valdes (Oklahoma) def. Palovic/Pougault (Arkansas), 8-5
R32: No. 25 Smillie/Vrba (Arkansas) def. Pham/Valentine (Oklahoma State), 8-2
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