Marino Highlights Day One Action In Tuscaloosa
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team began the weekend with a combined 5-4 record in singles and doubles play at the SEC Coaches Classic on Friday.
In singles play, Juan Marino defeated the tournament’s highest-ranked player, No. 26 Mate Cutura from Mississippi State, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Marino gives Arkansas five different players who have wins over ranked opponents this fall, joining Mike Redlicki, Jose Salazar, Johan den Toom and Adam Sanjurjo.
Branch Terrell also picked up a win in singles play. In doubles, Terrell combined with den Toom for a 2-0 record on the day, while Marino and Sanjurjo went 1-1 on the day.
“Our doubles teams continue to show great improvement,” assistant coach Nestor Briceno said. “I was really happy with how our guys performed in doubles today. In singles, Juan Marino beat last year’s No. 1 player for Mississippi State, Mate Cutura. That shows a lot of maturity. Overall, I like how we competed against other SEC foes. I’m looking forward to seeing what our guys do tomorrow.”
Marino will face Florida’s McClain Kessler, while Terrell will face LSU’s Julian Saborio, as both continue play in the main draw of their respective brackets. In doubles, the team of Marino and Sanjurjo will face the Kentucky team of Gus Benson and Jake Stefanik in the consolation final of their bracket.
Two rounds of singles and one round of doubles will be played across six different draws tomorrow, with the final day of play set for Sunday. Results will be posted at the conclusion of each day throughout the tournament.
SEC Coaches Classic:
Friday Results:
John Stimpson Main Draw (Singles):
- (Round of 16) Cameron Andry (LSU) def. Austin Robles, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
- (Quarterfinals) Branch Terrell def. Gus Benson (Kentucky), 6-2, 6-3
Jeff Robinson Draw (Singles):
- (Round of 16) Juan Marino def. Mate Cutura (Mississippi State), 7-6 (5), 6-4
- (Round of 16) Joseph Guillin (Florida) def. Adam Sanjurjo, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Francisco Rodriguez Draw (Singles):
- (Round of 16) Thibault Cancel (Alabama) def. Johan den Toom, 6-3, 6-3
Ellis Ferreira Draw (Doubles):
- (Quarterfinals) Gabor Csonka/Julian Saborio (LSU) def. Juan Marino/Adam Sanjurjo, 8-6
- (Cons. Semifinals) Juan Marino/Adam Sanjurjo def. Mate Cutura/Trevor Foshey (Mississippi State), 8-3
Greg Hahn Draw (Doubles):
- (Round 1) Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell def. Hayes Brewer/Thibault Cancel (Alabama), 8-4
- (Round 2) Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell def. Nikola Samardzic/Rafael Wagner (LSU), 8-5
Saturday Schedule:
John Simpson Main Draw (Singles):
- (Cons. Quarterfinals) Austin Robles vs. Hayes Brewer (Alabama) at 10 a.m.
- (Semifinals) Branch Terrell vs. Julian Saborio (LSU) at 11:30 a.m.
Jeff Robinson Draw (Singles):
- (Quarterfinals) Juan Marino vs. McClain Kessler (Florida) at 11:30 a.m.
- (Cons. Quarterfinals) Adam Sanjurjo vs. Panu Virtanen (Vanderbilt) at 11:30 a.m.
Francisco Rodriguez Draw (Singles):
- (Cons. Quarterfinals) Johan den Toom vs. Trevor Foshey (Mississippi State) at 10 a.m.
Ellis Ferreira Draw (Doubles):
- (Cons. Final) Juan Marino/Adam Sanjurjo vs. Gus Benson/Jake Stefanik (Kentucky) at 9 a.m.
Greg Hahn Draw (Doubles):
- (Round 3) Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell vs. Conner Huertas del Pino/Dante Saleh (Auburn) at 9 a.m.
