ARLINGTON– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (9-7, 3-0 WAC) secured a share in the Western Athletic Conference regular season title on Friday at the UTA Tennis Center in a 5-2 win over UT Rio Grande Valley. The win marks their second consecutive regular season title after winning in the 2023 season.
 
Doubles came down to two tiebreakers, where the Mavs secured wins on all three courts for the early singles advantage clinch.
 
First off on Court 2 was Joan Torres Espinosa and Meethre Barot who dominated over Agustin Salazar and Santiago Serrano. The Vaqueros stayed close in the beginning as they trailed by one game at 3-2. Espinosa and Barot continued the match without dropping another game as they closed out the match 6-2 for their first win as a doubles pair.
 
The Vaqueros tested the Mavs on the next two courts, but WAC Doubles Team of the Week Solano Caffarena and Pedro Sasso overpowered Emilien Burnel and Ivo Isquerio in a tiebreaker on Court 1 to clinch the 1-0 lead. Caffarena and Sasso trailed by one game throughout until Burnel and Isquerio were able to break serve for the 5-4 advantage. The Mavs battled back to even the score at 5-5, then eventually forced a tiebreaker to decide the match. Burnel and Isquerio earned only four points in the tiebreaker as Caffarena and Sasso closed out the match 7-6 (4).
 
Dante Teramo and Andres Medus were the final doubles match on Court 3, where they took down Paolo Bonaguro and Will Roberts in another tiebreaker. Both teams traded breaks throughout the match until Teramo and Medus were able to hold and force a seven-point tiebreaker. Bonaguro and Roberts played close, but Teramo and Medus were able to secure the final two points for the 7-6 (5) win.
 
A singles push from the Vaqueros made the match close, but the Mavericks were able to overcome the adversity and clinch five wins.
 
Sasso earned a commanding win on Court 6 as he took down Roberts in straight sets. Starting off strong in the first set, Sasso earned the early break and carried a 2-0 lead at the beginning. He carried that momentum through the rest of the set as he allowed Roberts only two games near the end for the 6-2 win.
 
The second set followed in a similar manner as Sasso gained a strong lead before closing out the match. At the third changeover, Sasso had already gone up 4-1 before Roberts won his final game of the match. Sasso then won the final two games for the 6-2 win and his second WAC victory.
 
Senior Caffarena followed up with a win of his own on Court 3 over Salazar to mark the graduate senior's  final victory at the UTA Tennis Center. Caffarena carried a one game advantage throughout the first set until he was able to break and go up 5-3. A quick hold of serve followed as Caffarena closed out the first set 6-3.
 
In the second set, Caffarena finished in a similar manner as he gained the momentum near the end of the set to secure the win. Salazar had a one game lead until 3-2, when Caffarena was able to break and hold for the 4-3 lead. Caffarena triumphed without dropping another game for the 6-3 victory.
 
The Vaqueros added a point to the scoreboard as Burnel defeated No. 88 Espinosa on Court 1 for Espinosa's first loss of the spring. The early lead in the first set went to Espinosa as he carried a 4-1 advantage into the third changeover. Burnel managed to chip away at the rest of the set, allowing Espinosa only one more game before closing out 7-5.
 
Espinosa fought hard in the second set but could not overpower Burnel after losing a late hold of serve. Burnel carried a one game advantage throughout the set, then at 4-3 was able to break Espinosa's serve. Burnel's serve proved too powerful in the final game as Espinosa fell 6-3.
 
The score grew closer as the Mavericks dropped the next point on Court 2 after a first-set battle between Teramo and Isqueiro. Teramo carried the initial lead in the first set as he earned a strong break for the 3-0 lead. Isqueiro retaliated to even the score as the set became a battle of serving. Teramo eventually forced a tiebreaker, where Isqueiro allowed him only three points for the 7-6 (3) win.
 
Isqueiro continued the second set in a dominant manner as Teramo could not overcome the first set loss. No-ad points allowed Isqueiro to gain a significant lead, going up 4-1 early on. Teramo could not manage another game as he fell 6-1 to put the match score at 3-2.
 
Freshman Medus was the Maverick to secure the clinch after earning a straight set victory over Bonaguro on Court 5 to move to 3-0 in WAC play. Medus went down early in the first set as Bonaguro earned a strong 3-0 lead at the second changeover. After a break of his own, Medus was able to fight his way back into the set as he evened the score. For the remainder of the set, Medus and Bonaguro kept the score even until 6-6 when a tiebreaker was needed. Medus played a solid tiebreaker, dropping only two points for the 7-6 (2) victory.
 
In the second set, Medus was the one to gain an early lead, going up 4-1 after earning his second break of serve. Bonaguro fought back with a break of his own to bring the score to 4-3, but Medus was able to finish off the final two games for the 6-3 triumph and his tenth win of the season.
 
After the match had been decided, Barot ended the day with a win as he closed out his three-set match over Serrano to move to 3-0 in WAC play. Serrano gained the initial advantage in the first set as an early break helped him go up 3-1. Barot then broke Serrano's serve to go down by only one game. In the final points of the first set, Barot could not overcome Serrano's returns as he fell 6-4.
 
Barot started off with the early 2-1 lead in the second set before Serrano was forced to take a medical timeout due to injury. The timeout worked in Barot's favor for the rest of the set as he did not allow Serrano another game, responding to the first set loss with a 6-1 win.
 
In the final set, an early break allowed Barot some momentum as he went 5-2 into the third changeover. Serrano made a push near the end to break Barot's serve on a no-ad point to make the score 5-3. Barot was not to be outdone, however, retaliating with a break of his own to secure the match 6-3.
 
The Mavericks are set for their final regular season match on Sunday, where they look to take on Seattle University at 11 a.m. at the Amy Yee Tennis Center in Seattle.
 
UTA 5, UTRGV 2
Doubles

1. Solano Caffarena/ Pedro Sasso (UTA) def. Emilien Burnel/ Ivo Isquerio (UTRGV) 7-6 (4)
2. Joan Torres Espinosa/ Meethre Barot (UTA) def. Agustin Salazar/ Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 6-2
3. Dante Teramo/ Andres Medus (UTA) def. Paolo Bonaguro/ Will Roberts (UTRGV) 7-6 (5)

Singles

1. Emilien Burnel (UTRGV) def. No. 88 Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) 7-5, 6-3
2. Ivo Isquerio (UTRGV) def. Dante Teramo (UTA) 7-6 (3), 6-1
3. Solano Caffarena (UTA) def. Agustin Salazar (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-3
4. Meethre Barot (UTA) def. Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
5. Andres Medus (UTA) def. Paolo Bonaguro (UTRGV) 7-6 (2), 6-3
6. Pedro Sasso (UTA) def. Will Roberts (UTRGV) 6-2, 6-2

 
   
 
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