RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) #5 men's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 match to the #1 UT Arlington (UTA) Mavericks Friday in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tennis Tournament at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park in Harlingen.
The match was intense and extremely competitive from start to finish. The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead after wins on the second and first doubles courts. UTRGV's No. 3 duo of sophomore McAllen Memorial alum
Agustin Salazar and freshman
Will Roberts were leading their match 5-4, playing very solid doubles, but it went unfinished as the point was secured.
The singles session was full of thrilling matches and tons of energy. UTA extended its lead to 2-0 with a win on the fifth court. Then, UTRGV went on a run.
Senior captain
Emilien Burnel was dynamic on the top court, moving quickly and slamming down shots and playing extremely high-level tennis. He earned a quick 6-3, 6-4 over #99
Joan Torres Espinosa, who was voted the WAC Player of the Year, earning his second win over the ranked Torres this season. Burnel went 2-0 in the No. 1 flight through the tournament.
Freshman
Paolo Bonaguro picked up a 6-1, 6-4 win in the No. 6 match. He used his high-energy playing style to control the court from start to finish.
Salazar earned his second singles victory of the WAC Tournament to put the Vaqueros (9-17) on top, 3-2. His big serve and great play from the baseline led to a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 4.
UTA evened things up with a three-set win Court Three. All eyes turned to the second court, where freshman
Ivo Isqueiro was locked in a back-and-forth battle with
Dante Teramo. Teramo won the first set, 6-3, then Isqueiro showed his tenacity in the second. He moved well and used his massive serve and a good mix of shots to take the 6-2 win, forcing a deciding third.
Teramo jumped on top early in the third, but Isqueiro continued to fight and pick away at the deficit. After falling behind 5-3, Isqueiro's serves tightened things up at 5-4. Teramo held on to win, 6-4, and secure the victory for the Mavericks.
UTRGV Results
Doubles (2, 1)
1. Solano Caffarena/Pedro Sasso (UTA) def.
Emilien Burnel/
Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) 6-4
2. Meethre Barot/Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) def.
Paolo Bonaguro/
Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 6-2
3.
Will Roberts/
Agustin Salazar (UTRGV) vs. Andres Medus/Dante Teramo (UTA) 5-4, unf.
Singles (5, 1, 6, 4, 3, 2)
1.
Emilien Burnel (UTRGV) def. #99 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)
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
Support UTRGV Men's Tennis |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
