Arkansas Eases Past Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In a dominant performance from start to finish, the Arkansas women’s tennis team defeated Purdue 6-1 on Friday at the Schwartz Tennis Center for its third straight win.
Arkansas improved to 6-2 overall, while Purdue fell to 5-4. It also marked the Razorbacks’ second consecutive road victory.
After winning the doubles point, Arkansas carried its momentum into singles action. The Razorbacks won first sets on all six courts and turned five of those leads into victories.
“The key today was our intensity through the end of the doubles and the first hour of the singles,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “Winning six first sets took the crowd out of the match, and it was great to almost get the sweep on the road.”
Arkansas and Purdue split the first two doubles matches. The Razorbacks struck first with a 6-2 win from senior co-captain Shannon Hudson and freshman Giulia Pairone at the No. 2 position. The Boilermakers then took a close 7-5 decision at No. 3, before Arkansas’ tandem of junior Mia Jurasic and sophomore Ana Oparenovic scored a 7-3 win in a tiebreaker at No. 1 to secure the opening point.
In singles action, the Razorbacks reeled off three straight victories at the No. 4, 5 and 6 spots, respectively, including the 6-3, 6-2 match-clinching win by Pairone at No. 6.
Junior Léolia Jeanjean won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4. Freshman Natsuho Arakawa earned her 15th overall victory dating back to the fall, winning 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5 to set up Pairone’s clincher.
With Arkansas leading 4-0 and the match already decided, Purdue won a tight three-set affair at No. 3, Oparenovic won 7-6 (4), 6-4 at No. 2, and Hudson prevailed 7-6 (4), 6-1 at the top spot to close out scoring.
Up Next
Arkansas will return home for a Monday doubleheader. The Razorbacks are set to face Wichita State at 1 p.m., before taking on Cornell at 6 p.m.
Monday’s Promotions
• Both matches will feature complimentary Keurig coffee, pizza, popcorn and Pepsi products for all in attendance.
• The first 50 fans at the 6 p.m. match against Cornell will receive an Arkansas women’s tennis T-shirt.
For more information on Arkansas Women’s Tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.
