Women's Tennis battles to home opening win against Memphis, 5-2

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas women’s tennis team (1-0) picked up a home opening win against the Memphis Tigers (0-1) on Saturday at the Dill Indoor Tennis Center. The Razorbacks captured the doubles point and then earned four comeback wins in singles play to take the opener.

In doubles action, the 34th-ranked doubles team of Tatum Rice and Lauren Alter defeated Cao/Teixido Garcia 6-2 and Martina Zerulo and Jackie Carr won at the No. 2 spot to clinch the doubles point for the Hogs, dominating in the tiebreaker 7-2.

After dropping the first singles match, the Razorbacks rebounded with two straight three-set wins from Kelly Keller and Lauren Alter. Keller finished up with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win while Alter downed her Tiger opponent 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Jackie Carr sealed the win for Arkansas with a victory on court three and Laura Rijkers battled Lina Hohnhold of Memphis to an 8-6 tiebreaker win in the third set.

The Razorbacks will be in action next weekend in Malibu, Calif. with Pepperdine, Arizona and UNLV in a four-team tournament.

Doubles 

No. 1 | #34 Rice/Alter (Ark) def. Ka. Cao/Teixido Garcia (Memphis), 6-2

No. 2 | Zerulo/Carr (Ark) def. Bente/Reayer (Memphis), 7-6 (7-2)

No. 3 | Hohnhold/Jo. Cao (Memphis) def. Keller/ Rijkers, 6-1

Singles 

No. 1 | Reayer (Memphis) def. Rice (Ark), 1-6, 7-5, 6-4

No. 2 | Bente (Memphis) def. Zerulo (Ark), 6-3, 6-4

No. 3 | Carr (Ark) def. Teixido Garcia (Memphis), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4

No. 4 | Alter (Ark) def. Ka. Cao (Memphis), 5-7, 6-1, 6-2

No. 5 | Keller (Ark) def. Woog (Memphis), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

No. 6 | Rijkers (Ark) def. Hohnhold (Memphis), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)