4/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 18, 2010
San Antonio, Texas - This weekend the UT Arlington men's tennis team knew they would have their work cut out for them especially since the Southland Conference title was on the line. The Mavericks battled earning the title of regular season champions with a pair of wins Sunday afternoon.
UT Arlington notched a 4-3 win over the Roadrunners of UTSA and recorded a 4-3 victory against UTPA. The Mavs ended the regular season with a 10-10 overall record and 4-1 SLC mark.
"I couldn't be any happier and more proud about this team, said Head Coach Diego Benitez. "They fought together against adversity this entire season. Playing two matches in one day for the conference title and come on top over both teams says it all."
After securing a 6-1 win over Nicholls State Friday afternoon, UT Arlington prepared to take on UTSA and UTPA on Sunday. The Mavs had already begun their match with UTSA on Monday but due to rain in the area the match was rescheduled for today.
The Mavs started off doubles action by losing the point but fought hard in singles winning the No. 1, 2, 4 and 5 flights.
In the No.1 spot, Dmitry Minkin and Mindaugas Celedinas defeated Rodrigo Morgado and Pedro Zanotelli 8-1 while Martin Ayala and Daniel Moreiras handed Brieuc Hamon and Yauheni Yakauleu a 9-8 loss.
Gonzalo Bienzobas and Adam Srkala dropped an 8-6 decision to Tyler Brown and Max Stratmann in the No. 3 position.
As the Mavs moved to singles play, they regrouped and stepped it up a notch, winning four of six matches.
Brieuc Hamon was the first Maverick to finish, falling short to Tyler Brown, 7-5, 6-0 in the No. 3 spot while David Subirats gave the Mavs their first point of the day with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Daniel Moreiras in the No. 5 spot.
In the No. 6 position, Jorge Delgado handed Jason Lateko a 6-7, 6-4, and 6-2 loss while Mindaugas Celedinas handed Martin Ayala a 6-4, 3-6, and 6-4 loss in the No. 2 position.
Newcomer Yauheni Yakauleu tied the match at 3-3 with a hard fought win over Max Stratmann, 6-4, 6-7, and 6-3 in the No. 4 position.
The match came down to No. 1 singles player Dmitry Minkin who closed out the match with a three-set win in the No. 1 spot and sealed a 4-3 victory for the Mavericks.
After a short break, UTA hit the courts once again for their final conference game of the season against UTPA. With the Southland Conference title in the back of their minds, the Mavericks remained composed and hungry for a victory which did not come easy but with teamwork they recorded a 4-3 win.
UTA once again started the match down 1-0 after losing the doubles point. The Mavericks dropped all three matches to the Broncs which meant they had to give it all they had in singles play and that's exactly what the Mavs did, handing UTPA four losses.
Yakauleu quickly tied the match up at 1-1 after winning the No. 4 flight over Marcus Dornauf with a score of 6-4, 6-4. Hamon gave UTA a 2-1 advantage after a 6-4, 6-4 win over Beau Bernstein in the No. 3 spot.
Arlington native Jason Lateko kept the wins coming after defeating Nirvick Mohinta in the No. 6 position. Sophomore David Subirats wrapped up the match for the Mavericks with a 7-5, 6-4 win in the No. 5 position over Andrew Irving.
Minkin and Celedinas dropped the No. 1 and 2 singles flights.
The Mavericks will now prepare for the Southland Conference Tournament which is set to begin Friday, April 23 at the HEB Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.
