Arakawa Wins Ninth Straight
MALIBU, Calif. – Despite Arkansas freshman Natsuho Arakawa earning her ninth straight singles victory dating back to the fall, the Razorbacks were defeated 4-3 by NC State on Saturday at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Malibu, California.
“Hats off to NC State for helping make a great atmosphere tonight and earning a quality win,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “It’s very early in the season, and I am very happy with how we developed tonight and what is possible for us this spring. Our team showed tremendous heart tonight, and our efforts here will help us a lot as we move forward to UNLV tomorrow.”
The Razorbacks moved to 3-1 overall on the season, while the Wolfpack improved to 3-0.
NC State gained the early lead by posting victories at the top two doubles positions. The Razorbacks and Wolfpack went on to split first sets in singles at three apiece.
Arkansas got on the board and tied things up when Arakawa posted a 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 5.
NC State won the next match at No. 6, but Arkansas junior Mia Jurasic quickly secured a 6-2, 7-6 (7) victory at No. 4 to level the match at 2-2.
The Razorbacks pulled to within one of clinching the team win after junior Léolia Jeanjean bested her opponent 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3.
But the Wolfpack responded with a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7 (6), 7-5 win at the top spot to tie the contest once again at 3-3.
Attention turned to the No. 2 singles position, where 98th-ranked senior co-captain Shannon Hudson was battling in a third set.
Despite a hard-fought effort by Hudson, NC State’s Claudia Wiktorin earned a 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2), 6-4 win to clinch the tight 4-3 overall match victory for the Wolfpack.
Notable
• Arakawa improved her overall singles record to 12-3 with a 4-0 mark in dual match play.
• Jeanjean improved to 4-0 in dual match singles action this season.
• The Razorbacks surrendered the doubles point Saturday for the first time this season.
• Arakawa and sophomore Agne Cepelyte led 4-3 at No. 3 at the doubles clinch.
Up Next
Arkansas will square off against UNLV in a consolation match on Sunday at noon CT. Live scoring of the match will be available here.
