No. 28 Razorbacks Fall to No. 35 Cornell in NCAA First Round

FORT WORTH, Texas. – The No. 28 Arkansas men’s tennis team dropped its match to No. 35 Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 4-0 on Friday afternoon at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The Razorbacks end the season at 21-12 overall.

Cornell claimed the early lead after taking the doubles point with victories on the top two courts. The duo of Karlo Kajin and Connor Smillie teamed up for the first time this season and struck first for the Hogs after a dominating 6-1 win over Papoe/Paquette at the No. 3 position.

The Big Red responded with Mao/Sinha earning a 6-2 victory over No. 30 Božo Barun/Jared Horwood in the top spot. The doubles point came down to court two as Teodorovic/Verdes clinched the point for Cornell with a narrow 7-6 (4) win against Melvin Manuel/Alan Sau Franco.

The Big Red carried their momentum into singles play, securing the first set on five courts. At the No. 2 position, No. 103 Sinha grabbed a 6-0, 6-2 victory over No. 93 Gerard Planelles Ripoll, while Kajin dropped his match in straight sets against Mao on court five. Cornell clinched the match after a win at the No. 4 position as Verdes bested Benedikt Emesz, 7-6 (0), 6-3.

The Razorbacks finish the year with their most wins in a season since 1986 and 12 victories over teams currently ranked in the ITA top-75. Arkansas produced its best single-season turnaround since 2015-16 with a nine-win improvement from last season and recorded a streak of five consecutive victories over ranked opponents, which is the longest streak since 1985.