Hogs Claim First-Ever Victory In Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team held off the LSU Tigers 4-3 Friday night to pick up its first victory in school history in Baton Rouge.
“Arkansas never being able to leave Baton Rouge with a win is a testament to the storied history at LSU,” said head coach Andy Jackson. “It was a good, hard battle, but we were able to come away with it in the end. Johan den Toom had to fight through three sets but was able to clinch it at No. 5 for us which was huge. I feel like our season is turning. We look forward to a great test on Sunday in College Station against a top-10 program in Texas A&M.”
After falling behind in doubles, Arkansas (13-9, 4-4 SEC) got a victory at the No. 3 position by den Toom and Juan Marino, who paired up for the first time this spring, to even the doubles point. The No. 37 ranked duo of Mike Redlicki and Jose Salazar won at the No. 1 spot to clinch the doubles point and give the Razorbacks the early 1-0 advantage. Redlicki and Salazar improved to 9-4 this spring in doubles play and 12-5 overall.
LSU (5-14, 1-7 SEC) fought back in singles to take a 2-1 lead with victories at No.3 and 4, but No. 26 Salazar evened the match at 2-2 with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 56 Justin Butsch. The senior improved to 15-3 this spring with a 5-0 mark against ranked foes.
No. 10 Redlicki put the Razorbacks back on top 3-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 44 Jordan Daigle at No. 1 to improve to 16-5 overall against ranked opponents.
Den Toom and Marino each found themselves in a battle at the No.5 and 6 spots. With both courts going to three sets, den Toom was able to clinch the victory at No. 5 with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win.
LSU earned a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win at No. 6 to close out scoring.
Arkansas returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. in College Station, Texas, against No. 7 Texas A&M.
#46 Arkansas 4, LSU 3
Singles competition – Order of finish (3,4,2,1,5,6)
1. #10 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. #44 Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. #26 Jose Salazar (AR) def. #56 Justin Butsch (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Gabor Csonka (LSU) def. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-0, 6-2
4. Nikola Samardzic (LSU) def. Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-2, 6-3
5. Johan den Toom (AR) def. Rafael Wagner (LSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Agie Moreno (LSU) def. Juan Marino (AR) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles competition – Order of finish (2,3,1)
1. #37 Mike Redlicki/Jose Salazar (AR) def. Jordan Daigle/Justin Butsch (LSU) 7-6 (0-4)
2. Gabor Csonka/Julian Saborio (LSU) def. Adam Sanjurjo/Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-3
3. Johan den Toom/Juan Marino (AR) def. Agie Moreno/Eric Samuelsson (LSU) 7-5
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