The No. 6 University of Arizona men’s tennis team (5-1) split its ITA Kickoff Weekend series with a 4-0 win over USC (3-1) on Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. and a narrow 4-3 loss to the University of Central Florida (7-0) on Jan. 26 at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats have started their season hot with five straight victories. The last time they achieved this was during the 2019-2020 season where Arizona started 5-0 before falling to a 4-0 loss against TCU.
Recently, Arizona has dominated the Trojans as of late, securing five straight victories. However, from 2000 to 2019, the Trojans defeated the Wildcats in 22 consecutive matchups.
In their history against UCF, the Wildcats have fallen to two consecutive losses to the Knights, with their latest defeat being a 7-0 rout in 2017. In the near future, these programs are set to face each other again during conference play on March 16 in Orlando, Fla.
Game 1: No. 6 Arizona vs. USC – Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
Arizona opened the match with doubles play with Filip Gustafsson and Cole Stelse, who lost on court 3 to USC’s Volodymyr Iakubenko and Oscar Weightman.
However, the Wildcats secured the doubles point with wins on both courts 1 and 2 behind big performances from duos Inaki Cabrera-Bello and Colton Smith as well as Jay Friend and Eric Padgham. Cabrera-Bello and Smith would go 6-4, as Friend and Padgham would end even better at 6-3.
In singles play, the Wildcats continued to showcase their dominance, winning the first three matches on courts 1, 2 and 5 to force a swift victory. Smith and Friend impressed with their abilities, as both players achieved victories in straight sets. Smith defeated USC’s Peter Makk with scores of 7-3 and 6-1, while Friend defeated Oscar Weightman 6-4, 6-2.
Arizona’s Gustafsson set the tone for this match, quickly winning in straight sets with a commanding 6-3 and 6-1 outing over Trojan’s player Karl Lee.
Game 2: No. 6 Arizona vs. UCF – Jan. 26 at 1 p.m.
Coming off a strong performance over USC, the Wildcats looked to continue its success as they faced UCF. However, Arizona struggled early on, losing in doubles play after dropping courts 1 and 3. Friend and Padgham won court 2 with ease, defeating Yassine Dlimi and Emilio Sanchez 6-1.
Arizona went on to win the first three matches of singles play with Smith earning a victory on court 1 (6-1, 6-3), Friend winning on court 2 (6-3, 6-1) and Alexander Rozin clinching a victory on court 6 (6-4, 6-1).
Despite Arizona’s efforts to stage a comeback, the Wildcats fell short, losing on courts 3 and 5 in straight sets then on court 4 in three sets. Despite the defeats, both Zoran Ludoski on court 3 and Casper Christensen on court 4 started strong with 6-1 sets, showcasing their potential.
Arizona’s 4-3 loss marks the most points given up this season, with its closest previous result being a 6-1 win against Florida State University.
Looking ahead
Arizona looks to return back to winning fashion as the Wildcats head into a doubleheader on Feb. 7 at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center against Utah State University (2-1) at 10 a.m. and Loyola Marymount University (1-3) at 2 p.m.
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