Ward and King advance to main draw
Tulsa, Okla.– Arkansas Razorback senior Taylor King and freshman Mike Ward will advance to the main draw of the Wilson/ITA Central Region Championships, beginning on Friday. Seven Hogs will play in the first round, including seniors Bradwin Williams and Dmitry Lebedev, juniors Chris Nott and Matt Hogan, and sophomore Matt Walters.
The Razorbacks had a successful first day with six wins in the qualifying rounds of the tournament. King defeated Drew Freeman of Nebraska in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. He claimed his spot in the main draw with a win over St. Louis’s Drew Feder, 6-3, 6-3. Ward earned his way with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Tulsa’s Byan Baynton and Bruno Hurtado of APB, 6-3, 6-0.
In the opening round, Nikolas Zogaj fell, 6-2, 6-7(5),10-8, to Matheus Pereira of Witchita St. Pereira won the first set but Zogaj played a commanding second set to get back in the match. Zogaj was unable to overcome Pereira in a third set tie-breaker. Iowa’s Patrick Dwyer defeated Nicholas Spinazze in a heated battle, 6-2, 7-5.
In the back draw, Zogaj and Spinazze claimed victory beating SLU’s Dave Welkener 6-2,6-1 and Eric Nguyen of Bradley 6-3, 6-1, respectively.
The Razorbacks will be back on the courts for doubles matches Friday morning at the Michael D. Case Center in Tulsa, Okla. First serve set for 9 a.m., with the singles play to follow. The Razorbacks will have three doubles team to compete, including Nott and Lebedev, King and Williams, and Hogan and Walters. For complete men’s tennis coverage, log on to www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com or www.tulsahurricane.com.
Day 1 Complete Results
Taylor King (ARK) def. Drew Freeman (NEB) 6-2, 6-4
Mike Ward (ARK) def. Bryan Baynton (Tulsa) 6-0, 6-3
Patrick Dwyer (Iowa) def. Nicholas Spinazze (ARK) 6-2, 7-5
Mattheus Pereira (Wichita St.) def. Nikolas Zogaj (ARK) 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-8
Taylor King (ARK) def. Drew Feder (St. Louis) 6-3, 6-3
Zogaj (ARK) def. Dave Welkener (SLU) 6-2, 6-1
Spinazze (ARK) def. Eric Nguyen (Brad.) 6-3, 6-1
Ward (ARK) def. Bruno Hurtado (APB) 6-3,6-0
