ARLINGTON– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (6-7) fell to a strong Wichita State squad 4-1 at the UTA Tennis Center on Thursday in their last non-conference match.
 
Doubles came down to the final court, where the Shockers managed to get the victory for the 1-0 lead before singles.
 
The Mavericks came out with a bang as they took the first win of the day on Court 3. Freshmen duo Meethre Barot and Andres Medus played a strong set against Luke Bracks and Alejandro Jacome for their first win as a pair. They started off strong and earned a solid break to go up 3-1. They allowed the Shockers only one more game before securing the win 6-2.
 
The Shockers pushed back as they evened the doubles score on Court 2 over Yazid Lahjomri and Pedro Sasso. Lahjomri and Sasso kept the match close with Vanja Hodzic and Marcelo Sepulveda, holding serve to keep them within one game until 4-3. The Shockers earned a late break to go up 5-3, then closed out the match for the 6-3 win.
 
The early advantage came down to a tight match on Court 1 as Dante Teramo and Joan Torres Espinosa battled against Richey King and Misha Kvantaliani. The Mavs kept the score even as they fought to keep the match on-serve. At 4-4, King and Kvantaliani scored a late break on Espinosa's serve, which gave them the opportunity to serve for the match. In the final game, Teramo and Espinosa struggled to close out against the Shockers as they fell 6-4.
 
In singles action, the Mavs fought hard to overcome the doubles deficit, but the Shockers ultimately prevailed to clinch the match.
 
Barot fell in the first singles match on Court 4 as Hodzic took the match in straight sets. Hodzic earned an early break in the first set, which helped him go up 5-2 at the changeover. Barot fought back to get another game, but fell short 6-3.
 
The second set followed in a similar manner, as Hodzic started off with a 4-1 lead. Barot could not overpower Hodzic in the end, falling 6-1 to give the Shockers a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Mavs fought back to get on the scoreboard as Medus added a point with a Court 5 win over Bracks. A 3-0 lead in the first set gave Medus the momentum to close out, as he only dropped one more game before securing the first set 6-1.
 
Medus continued his success in the second set as he earned another commanding lead to go up 5-2. Bracks fought to score one more game, but Medus earned a break in the last game which gave him the final set 6-3.
 
The Shockers responded by taking Court 3, as Sepulveda defeated Solano Caffarena in straight sets. Sepulveda earned a strong lead as he went into the changeover with a 4-1 advantage. Caffarena battled back to bring the score close, breaking serve then holding for a 5-4 deficit. In the final game of the first set, Sepulveda managed to close out 6-4.
 
Caffarena fought to keep the second set close, but Sepulveda overpowered him in the end to put the Shockers one win away from clinching. As Caffarena trailed 4-3, Sepulveda earned a late break to go up 5-3. In the final game, he held serve for the 6-3 win.
 
Despite a hard fought two sets, Teramo fell short in the final match to Jacome on Court 2. Teramo went down early in the first set, giving Jacome a break and a 4-1 lead at the changeover. He fought hard to bring the score even as he broke back and continued to hold serve until the tiebreaker at 6-6. The opponents exchanged points throughout the tiebreaker, keeping the score tied until Jacome earned a mini-break and went up 7-6. He then earned the final point for the 7-6 (6) win.
 
Teramo could not overpower Jacome in the final set, fighting hard near the end for a break and to tie the score. Jacome earned another lead, going up 3-0 early in the set. As Teramo trailed 5-2 at the changeover, a no-ad point gave him the opportunity to hold serve and bring the score to 5-3. As Jacome served, another no-ad point presented itself for Teramo to bring the match back on-serve. Teramo could not overcome Jacome in the final point, falling 6-3 for the clinch.
 
Courts 1 and 6 were still in progress when the match was decided. Espinosa was in the middle of a three-set battle on Court 1 against Kvantaliani, tied 1-1. Sasso had also gone to the deciding set on Court 6, ending at 1-1 in the third.
 
The Mavericks look to start conference play in their Saturday match against Grand Canyon at 11 a.m. at the UTA Tennis Center.
 
UTA 1, WSU 4
Doubles

1. Richey King/ Misha Kvantaliani (WSU) def.  Dante Teramo/ Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) 6-4
2. Vanja Hodzic/ Marcelo Sepulveda (WSU) def. Yazid Lahjomri/ Pedro Sasso (UTA) 6-3
3. Meethre Barot/ Andres Medus (UTA) def. Luke Bracks/ Alejandro Jacome (WSU) 6-2

Singles

1. Unfinished
2. Alejandro Jacome (WSU) def. Dante Teramo (UTA) 7-6 (6), 6-3
3. Marcelo Sepulveda (WSU) def. Solano Caffarena (UTA) 6-4, 6-3
4. Vanja Hodzic (WSU) def. Meethre Barot (UTA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Andres Medus (UTA) def. Luke Bracks (WSU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Unfinished

   
 
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