SAN ANTONIO– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (5-5) fell 4-3 in a close match against No. 60 Utah State in San Antonio on Saturday.
 
The doubles point came down to the wire, but the Aggies managed to earn two out of three match wins to go up 1-0 for singles play.
 
WAC Doubles Team of the Week Dante Teramo and Joan Torres Espinosa remained solid as they earned their fifth win of the spring on Court 1. The pair defeated Stijn Paardekooper and Nuno Pinheiro by a break of serve with a 7-5 win, earning their ninth win overall.
 
Solano Caffarena and Meethre Barot could not overcome Stefan Vedouelli and Bodin Zarkovic on Court 2 as the Aggies evened the doubles score. The 6-1 loss left the early advantage to be decided in a battle on Court 3.
 
Court 3 came down to three points in the tiebreaker, where Pedro Sasso and Andres Medus fell to Mohammad Alkotop and Sergi Mico Fenollar. The match stayed close as the Mavs were able to force the tiebreaker at 6-6. The Aggies closed out the tiebreaker 7-4, for a final score of 7-6 (4) and the 1-0 lead in singles.
 
Despite a strong singles effort from the Mavericks, the Aggies prevailed to take the final three points needed for the win.
 
WAC Singles Player of the Week Espinosa continued his season success on Court 1 as he took down Paardekooper in the third set. The first set stayed close, but Paardekooper was able to close it out by two games, winning 7-5. Espinosa battled back to take the second set in a similar fashion, as evened the score with a 6-4 win. The momentum carried into the deciding set, where Espinosa dropped only two games for the 6-2 win as he remains undefeated in the spring at 6-0.
 
Teramo fell in a close match on Court 2 as he could not overcome Zarkovic in the third set. The first set went Teramo's way as he managed to close it out by two games 6-4. Zarkovic battled back in the second, forcing a tiebreaker where he won 7-6. The deciding set stayed close before Zarkovic finished the match 6-4.
 
Court 3's match between Caffarena and Fenollar concluded in two sets, as Fenollar was too strong to overcome. Fenollar came out strong in the first set, allowing Caffarena only one game before closing it out 6-1. Caffarena fought to keep the score close in the second but lost by a break of serve 6-4.
 
The Mavericks dropped another two-set match on Court 4, as Pinheiro defeated Barot. The first set came down to a tiebreaker at 6-6, but Barot fell short as Pinheiro earned the 7-6 win. The second set stayed close, but two games made the difference as Pinheiro closed the match out 6-4.
 
A three-set victory on Court 5 evened Sasso's spring record as he closed out his match against Alkotop in the third set. Sasso kept the first set close as Alkotop forced a tiebreaker, but Sasso managed to secure the 7-6 win before heading into the second. Alkotop fought back, claiming a 6-3 victory in the second to even the score. The third set came down to a tiebreaker, where Sasso closed out the match 7-6 for the win.
 
In another deciding set battle on Court 6, Medus earned his fifth win of the season as he defeated Vedouelli by two games in the final set. Medus closed out the first set by a break of serve for the 6-4 lead. Vedoulli retaliated to take the second and bring the score to 1-1, taking the set 6-4. The final set finished with Medus coming back to claim another 6-4 victory.
 
The Mavericks look to remain in San Antonio as they take on UTSA on Sunday at 11 a.m. They are then slated for three home matches at the UTA Tennis Center against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, NJIT and Drake.
 
UTA 3, USU 4
Doubles

1. Dante Teramo/ Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) def. Stijn Paardekooper/ Nuno Pinheiro (USU) 7-5
2. Stefan Vedouelli/ Bodin Zarkovic (USU) def. Solano Caffarena/ Meethre Barot (UTA) 6-1
3. Mohammad Alkotop/ Sergi Mico Fenollar (USU) def. Pedro Sasso/ Andres Medus (UTA) 7-6 (4)

Singles

1. Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) def. Stijn Paardekooper 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
2. Bodin Zarkovic (USU) def. Dante Teramo (UTA) 4-6, 7-6, 6-4
3. Sergi Mico Fenollar (USU) def. Solano Caffarena (UTA) 6-1, 6-4
4. Nuno Pinheiro (USU) def. Meethre Barot (UTA) 7-6, 6-4
5. Pedro Sasso (UTA) def. Mohammad Alkotop (USU) 7-6, 3-6, 7-6
6. Andres Medus (UTA) def. Stefan Vedouelli (USU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

 
   
 
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