HARLINGEN, Texas– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (11-7) advances to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament championships after an intense battle against No. 5 UT Rio Grande Valley on Friday at the HEB Tennis Center. The 4-3 victoput the Mavs in their second consecutive WAC Tournament championship.
 
The doubles point proved to be crucial in the outcome of the match, with the Mavericks capitalizing on the 1-0 advantage after earning wins on two courts.
 
Joan Torres Espinosa and Meethre Barot were the first to get a victory under their belt as they earned their second win as a pair on Court 2. The Mavs allowed Paolo Bonaguro and Santiago Serrano only two games before closing out the set 6-2.
 
The clinch came down to Court 1, where Solano Caffarena and Pedro Sasso moved to 3-2 as a doubles team. Emilien Burnel and Ivo Isqueiro stayed close throughout the set,  but an early break allowed Caffarena and Sasso the opportunity to serve out the match and secure the 6-4 win.
 
The Mavericks faced resistance from the Vaqueros in the singles play as they fell to a one-point deficit. The match came down to the final court in the deciding set, where the Mavericks triumphed.
 
Freshman Barot continued his impressive season as he secured a strong straight-set win on Court 5 to mark the first singles victory. Barot overpowered Will Roberts in the first set without dropping a game, closing out 6-0.
 
Roberts pushed back in the second set as he carried a one-game lead, but Barot turned the tide as he earned a break to go up 4-3. Barot allowed Roberts one more game before closing out the set 6-4. The win puts him at 11-5 overall and extended his winning streak to five matches.
 
The Vaqueros began to chip away at a comeback as they took the next match over Espinosa on Court 1. Burnel came out strong with an early break to allow him to go up 3-0. Espinosa fought to bring the score close but could not even it as Burnel closed out the first set 6-3.
 
Espinosa brought the score within one in the second set, but Burnel earned the break that allowed him to close out the match 6-4. Espinosa sits at 16-4 overall and 10-2 in dual match play. His two dual match losses are both to Burnel as he fell in their regular season match as well.
 
On Court 6, the score evened as the Vaqueros earned their second win over Sasso. Bonaguro played a strong first set, allowing Sasso only one game before closing out 6-1. Bonaguro earned a lead in the second set, but Sasso fought to close the gap as he trailed by one game. In the end, Bonaguro overpowered Sasso in the final two games as he took the 6-4 victory.
 
The Vaqueros took the lead after Medus fell in straight sets on Court 5 to Agustin Salazar. Salazar took a commanding lead in the first set, going up 4-0. Medus fought his way back into the set to get within one game, but could not earn the final break as he fell 6-4. In the final set, Salazar took a similar lead then proceeded to allow Medus only three games before taking the set.
 
With the Vaqueros only one win away from victory, all eyes were on Courts 2 and 3 as they entered deciding sets. The Mavericks needed both victories to clinch the match.
 
Graduate senior Caffarena earned a crucial win on Court 3 over Serrano which evened the score. Serrano earned the first break in the first set as he took the two game lead over Caffarena. Caffarena fought to keep the score close, but went down 6-4.
 
The momentum shifted in the second set as Caffarena took the early lead. An early break gave him the 3-1 advantage, which he carried throughout the set. He then allowed Serrano only two more games as he tied the score 6-3.
 
Caffarena left little doubt in the deciding set as he dominated to take the victory. The 6-0 win put the match score at 3-3 and gave Caffarena his sixth win of the season.
 
The final point came down to Court 2, where Teramo was battling Isqueiro after falling in their regular season match. Teramo came out strong in the first set, breaking early and fighting off break points from Isqueiro. The set came to a 6-3 end with Teramo in the lead.
 
Isqueiro retaliated in the second set as he took a commanding lead to begin with. He allowed Teramo only two games before evening the score 6-2.
 
In the deciding set, both players exchanged nerves as the pressure to clinch was strong. Teramo took the initial lead, going up 4-1 at the third changeover. After two more games, Teramo carried the 5-2 lead and had the opportunity to serve for the match. Isqueiro played a strong game to earn the break then held serve, making the score 5-4. With a second chance at serving out the match, Teramo delivered as he secured the victory with a 6-4 win.
 
The Mavericks will play their second consecutive WAC Tournament championship on Saturday at noon against No. 2 Grand Canyon at the HEB Tennis Center. In their regular season match, the Mavs defeated the Lopes 4-3 at the UTA Tennis Center.
 
UTA 4, UTRGV 3
Doubles

1. Solano Caffarena/ Pedro Sasso (UTA) def. Emilien Burnel/ Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) 6-4
2. Joan Torres Espinosa/ Meethre Barot (UTA) def. Paolo Bonaguro/ Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 6-2
3. Unfinished

Singles

1. Emilien Burnel (UTRGV) def. Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) 6-3, 6-4
2. Dante Teramo (UTA) def. Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
3. Solano Caffarena (UTA) def. Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
4. Agustin Salazar (UTRGV) def. Andres Medus (UTA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Meethre Barot (UTA) def. Will Roberts (UTRGV) 6-0, 6-4
6. Paolo Bonaguro (UTRGV) def. Pedro Sasso (UTA) 6-1, 6-4

   
 
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