SMU
Arkansas
SMU To Host Arkansas, No. 18 TCU
Feb 7 | Men's Tennis
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DALLAS (SMU) - SMU continues its spring season by hosting matches against Arkansas on Friday, Feb. 9, at 1 p.m. and No. 18 TCU on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 4:30 p.m.
The Mustangs return to the court after going 2-0 in Sunday's doubleheader against UT Permian Basin and Midwestern State. The Mustangs swept both matches, winning 7-0 against UTPB and 4-0 against Midwestern State, the No. 23 ranked team in the Division II Oracle/ITA Rankings.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas comes to Dallas on Friday with a 4-3 overall record, but the Razorbacks have fallen to tough opponents early on. The team lost 5-2 to both No. 18 Oklahoma in Norman and No. 15 Oklahoma State at home. They also tallied a close loss to Memphis at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Athens, Georgia. The team returns six upperclassmen, including No. 59 Jose Salazar.
SCOUTING TCU
TCU holds a 3-2 record and the No. 18 spot on the Oracle/ITA team rankings. Three TCU players, No. 25 Alastair Gray, No. 36 Alex Rybakov and No. 80 Trevor Johnson, are ranked individually in singles. Gray and Rybakov rank No. 16 in doubles, and Rybakov and Guillermo Nuñez are No. 53.The Horned Frogs' losses comes against San Diego at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend held in Fort Worth and No. 3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.Â
SERIES INFO
SMU is 5-6 all-time against Arkansas, with a 1-3 record at home. The matchup goes back to 1985, with the Mustangs grabbing an 8-1 win in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks hosted SMU last season, and SMU earned a 4-3 win.
The Mustangs are 14-18 against cross-town rival TCU. At home, SMU is 7-8 against the Horned Frogs. The two teams first met in 1985 when the Mustangs began the series with a 6-3 win. Last season, TCU defeated SMUÂ 5-2 at home.
LAST TIME OUT
The SMU men's tennis team swept both matches of Sunday's doubleheader at the SMU Tennis Complex, earning a 7-0 win against UT-Permian Basin and a 4-0 win against Midwestern State. The Mustangs improve to 3-4 overall after the victories.
The Mustangs made quick work of UT-Permian Basin in doubles play. In the No. 1 spot, Jan-Simon Vrbsky/Tomas Vaise earned a 6-1 victory over Raul Stevens/Jorge Garcia of UTPB. Charles Nettlefold/Roberto Rosales secured the doubles point with a 6-1 win of their own over Marcos Silva/Felipe Dias.
SMU continued to dominate in singles play. Eladio Fabregas earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Jorge Garcia, and Tomas Vaise followed with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Gabriel Capuano. At No. 1 singles, Jan-Simon Vrbsky also earned a win in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0. The teams played on to allow wins from Charles Nettlefold (3-6, 6-0, 6-2), Roberto Rosales (6-1, 6-1) and Gardiner Perotti (7-5, 7-5).
Hours later, SMU returned to the Ann and Brad Brookshire Family Pavilion to earn a 4-0 win against Midwestern State, the No. 23-ranked Division II team in the Oracle/ITA rankings. Jan-Simon Vrbsky/Tomas Vaise again found rhythm in doubles, defeating Vasudev Vijayaraman/Jean Muniz 6-2. SMU clinched the doubles point on a 6-4 win by Gardiner Perotti and Eladio Fabregas at No. 3 doubles.
Tomas Vaise defeated MSU's Nolan McCaig in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, to give SMU its second point. After reaching a quick 6-1 in his first set, Jan-Simon Vrbsky stretched out a 7-5 second set to win the match at No. 1 singles. Roberto Rosales recorded the match-winning point with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5 singles against Alex Martinez Roca.
LOOKING AHEAD:
SMU will host a second doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 17, against Incarnate Word and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The matches will begin at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. respectively.
FOLLOW THE MUSTANGS:
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Men's Tennis on Twitter at @SMUTennisM, Instagram at @SMUTennisM and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MTennis. Follow SMU Athletics on Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.
