Five Hogs Ranked in Regional Top 30

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After a strong fall season, five Razorback tennis players appear in the ITA Central Region top 30, released earlier this month.

Seniors Adrians Zguns (6), Rohan Gajjar (11) and Matt Roberts (12), freshman Blake Strode (16) and sophomore Michael Jung (28) were all recognized for their solid fall campaigns. The duo of Roberts and Strode are ranked third in the region in doubles.

Arkansas ranks second among regional teams with five players ranked in singles. Tulsa sports six ranked players, leading the Central Region.

Zguns, the nation’s 58th-ranked player in the preseason, is seventh on the all-time wins list at Arkansas (86). The Latvia native was 8-3 in the fall, including winning three matches at the ITA Central Region Championships.

Gajjar’s high national ranking (31) earned him a spot in the ITA All-American Championships, where he opened his season with a win over No. 89 Eric Langenkamp of Notre Dame. He also advanced to the finals of the Arizona State Thunderbird Invitational.

Roberts knocked off three nationally-ranked players in the fall en route to a 9-3 record. The Little Rock, Ark. native was 3-1 in the fall against ranked opposition, and won the Arizona State Thunderbird Invitational with his victory against Gajjar.

Strode was the bright spot of the fall for the Hogs. The St. Louis, Mo. product tallied an 8-2 mark, including winning the top flight of the South Carolina Invitational, just his second collegiate tournament. Strode defeated three top-55 players, including No. 15 Tom Eklund of South Carolina, en route to the title.

Jung posted 14 victories for the Razorbacks in the fall, a team-high. The Atlanta, Ga. native went 14-2, claimed his flight at the South Carolina Invitational, and fought off an opening-round setback at the Central Region Championships to win the Consolation bracket.

The team of Roberts and Strode advanced to the semifinals of the Central Region Championships. Several Hog pairs were unranked despite solid resumes. Roberts and Gajjar teamed to win the ASU Invitational, while Gajjar and Zguns are ranked 5th in the country.

The Razorbacks open their spring schedule with an Alumni Reunion weekend set for January 13-15 in Fayetteville. The Hogs will then have an exhibition with Scotland’s Sterling University on Jan. 16, before opening their 2006 season against Oral Roberts on Jan. 24 at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center in Fayetteville.