Jan. 25, 2016 UTA vs. Arkansas | UTA vs. MSU
By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
FAYETTVILLE, Ark. - UT Arlington men's tennis opened the season with a pair of defeats in a tough weekend against No. 69 Arkansas and Michigan State at the Dills Indoor Courts.
The Mavericks opened up the 2016 season against the Razorbacks on their home court with a 6-1 decision on Friday. UTA followed it up with a hard-fought match against Michigan State, however, fell with the same 6-1 result on Saturday.
"It was not the result that we were hoping for," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "We left some tennis out there and I feel that we need to go back in practice and make the necessary adjustments so that we can continue improving."
UTA (0-2) had a bright spot in its lineup from a pair of freshmen making their collegiate debuts. Guanarteme Nuez and Ion Efrim each had a positive showing. Nuez opened his career with a 3-6, 7-5, 10-7 win in his first-ever match against Jose Salazar of Arkansas and then went three sets on Saturday. Efrim took MSU's Billy Shisler to three sets despite his loss.
"I was happy with our freshman," Benitez said. "They played some really tough matches. Nuez won his first match and lost his second in a tough battle. Ion showed a lot of determination and intensity out there. Those two guys are really going to help us out a lot in the upcoming matches. We need to have our returners step up and be the leaders that they can be and hopefully we can turn it around."
Carlos Arbiza picked up UTA's second match win of the weekend with a 6-2, 6-2 result over MSU's Ivan Rakic. Nuez and joined with Daniel Armengol in doubles against the Spartans and were leading 4-3 before play was halted after MSU clinched the doubles point.
UTA continues its schedule on Thursday in a make-up match against Rice at 3 p.m. in Houston. The Mavs then play in their home opener with a pair of matches at the UTA Tennis Center on Saturday. The Mavs host Dallas Baptist at 10 a.m. and DePaul at 2 p.m. Follow UTA Tennis on Twitter for match updates and more at @UTAMavsTennis.
