ARLINGTON, Texas --- The UT Arlington men's tennis team (16-7) will open NCAA Tournament play on Friday, May 5 with a first round matchup against No. 2 TCU in Fort Worth at 5 p.m.
 
It will be the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 and the third in the tenure of head coach Diego Benitez, who also guided the Mavs to the postseason in 2006. Overall, it is the fifth appearance for UTA including the 2001 and 2003 seasons.

TCU is 22-2 overall and coming off a win over No. 1 Texas in the championship of the Big XII tournament. Since Feb. 2, they have played 18 ranked opponents and hold a 16-2 record in those matches. UT Arlington lost 4-0 to TCU on March 3.
 
"We're going to give it our best," Benitez said. "We've played them once already. It's going to be a short drive. I think the guys are excited, ready to go and full of belief. We're going to play our best tennis."
 
The UTA men's tennis team gathered at Walk-Ons in Arlington Highlands beginning around 5 p.m. to prepare for the selection show as many fans and department staff showed up, including the women's tennis team as both squads were recognized for winning their respective regular season conference championships.
 
"This was an amazing event here that the department put on for us," Benitez said. "You can see how the guys were so excited. They loved it. They were so into it. They were following every single selection. We're very appreciative of this get together."
 
As a team, UTA won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) regular season title with a 5-0 record before cruising through the WAC tournament. In the semifinals, they defeated No. 5 UTRGV 5-0 following a simultaneous clinch before knocking off the conference's defending champion, No. 2 Abilene Christian, 4-0, in the championship match.
 
The Mavericks boast a young lineup with four freshmen and a sophomore in the singles lineup. Solano Caffarena, who is the team's lone senior, has compiled a 15-11 record with six-consecutive wins at No. 3. At No. 1, sophomore Anton Shepp has posted a team-best 21 wins. Four freshmen - Santiago Giamichelle, Dante Teramo, Lachlan Robertson and Joan Torres Espinosa - have combined for a 57-30 record.
 
"We're having a great season, and this is our first chance in the tournament in my four years here," Caffarena said. "This is something new and something that I wanted to accomplish. We're going to go out and give it our best."
 
Giamichelle has won seven straight and is second on the team in wins with 19 at No. 2. Teramo has a team-best eight-match win streak currently and has won 13 overall at No. 5. Robertson has won 13 this year and is 6-2 in his last 10 matches at No. 4. Espinosa has won four straight and 12 overall at No. 6.
 
In doubles, the No. 1 pair of Shepp and Caffarena has a team-best 15 wins. Giamichelle and Teramo have won four straight at No. 2 along with 13 wins together on the season. At No. 3, Robertson and Espinosa are 9-8 together.
 

UTA MEN'S TENNIS NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
In 2016, the Mavericks lost 4-0 in the first round to No. 11 seed Oklahoma, who came in ranked 10th nationally and ultimately finished as the national runner-up. The match was played at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Okla.
 
Singles
1. #97 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) def. Guanarteme Nuez 6-2, 6-3
2. #25 Spencer Papa (OU) def. Jhonathan Gonzalez 6-1, 6-1
3. #82 Alex Ghilea (OU) vs. Mario Muniesa 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
4. #61 Florin Bragusi (OU) vs. Daniel Armengol 6-3, 4-3, unfinished
5. Andre Biro (OU) def. Carlos Abiza 6-3, 6-3
6. Maxime Mora (OU) vs. Mauricio Del Rio 6-4, 3-3, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. #24 Llamas / Andrew Harris (OU) def. Gonzalez / Armengol 6-2
2. Abiza / Del Rio (UTA) def. Ghilea / Papa 6-4
3. Biro / Mora (OU) def. Nuez / Muniesa 7-6 (8-6)
 
In 2006, the Mavericks lost 4-0 in the first round to No. 16 seed Texas A&M, who came in ranked 19th nationally, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station.
 
Singles
1. #12 Jerry Makowski (A&M) vs. #97 Sandy Farquharson 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
2. Bryan Wooten (A&M) vs. Diego Mattar 7-5, unfinished
3. Matt Bain (A&M) vs. Daniel Omana 2-6, 6-2, 1-2, unfinished
4. Brett Joleson (A&M) def. Alberto Agis 6-1, 6-3
5. Mohamed Dakki (A&M) def. Ian Vazquez 6-1, 6-0
6. John Nallon (A&M) def. Neils Buksik 6-3, 6-3
 
Doubles
1. Makowski / Joleson (A&M) vs. Farquharson / Javier Herrera 7-6, unfinished
2. Marcus Lunt / Wooten (A&M) def. Buksik / Mattar 8-4
3. Bain / Nallon (A&M) def. Agis / Omana 8-4
 
In 2003, the Mavericks nearly stunned No. 3 seed Baylor at the Baylor Tennis Center before falling 4-3 in the first round. The host Bears were ranked No. 2 nationally.
 
Singles
1. #2 Benedikt Dorsch (BU) def. Nathan McGregor 6-0, 6-1
2. #45 Matias Marin (BU) def. David Corrie 6-4, 7-6 (2)
3. Reiner Neurohr (BU) def. Javier Carrillo 6-3, 6-1
4. #97 Ivor Lovrak (BU) def. Niels Buksik 6-0, 6-2
5. Sandy Farquharson (UTA) def. Mike Garcia 6-3, 6-4
6. Ian Vazquez (UTA) def. Jason Gould 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
 
Doubles
1. #29 Dorsch / Nerohr (BU) def. McGregor / Farquharson 8-1
2. Corrie / Buksik (UTA) def. Marin / Garcia 8-4
3. Carrillo / Alon Goldshuv (UTA) def. Gould / Lovrak 9-7
 
In the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001, the Mavericks nearly defeated Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the first round before falling 4-3.
 
Singles
1. Stuart Beauchamp (TAMUCC) d. Andy Leber 6-3, 6-1
2. Antoine Quinquis (TAMUCC) d. Per Erik Karlsson 7-6, 6-2
3. David Corrie (UTA) d. Erik Von Hellens 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
4. Paul McInerney (TAMUCC) d. Tomasz Zarzecny 5-7, 7-5, 7-5
5. Ola Bentzen (UTA) d. Jason Holland 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Tanner Payne (TAMUCC) d. Alon Goldshov 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles
1. Leber / Corrie (UTA) d. Stuart Beauchamp / Paul McInerney 8-4
2. Karlsson / Zarzecny (UTA) d. Antoine Quinquis / Erik Von Hellens 8-6
3. Goldshov / Bentzen (UTA) d. Tanner Payne / Jason Holland 8-6
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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