No. 9 Gators Too Much For Arkansas

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team concluded its three-match road trip Sunday with a 6-1 road loss to the No. 9 Florida Gators.

Arkansas showed fight in the doubles, despite falling on court two to give the Gators the early advantage. Arkansas’ duo of Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sanjurjo defeated the top doubles team in the country in Florida’s Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen 6-3 to even things up in doubles. On court three, brothers Pedro and Jose Alonso led the No. 8 tandem in the country Chase Perez-Blanco and Oliver Crawford 5-3, before the Gator duo ran off four straight games to win 7-5 and clinch the doubles point for Florida.

Mesquida would fall fast to No. 52 Crawford 6-1, 6-0 to give Florida the early 2-0 lead, right before Reco would drop to Perez-Blanco 6-3, 6-2 to stretch its lead to 3-0.

Florida recorded three straight two-set wins to open singles and clinch the match, as Andy Andrade defeated Pedro Alonso on court five 6-3, 6-2 to give the Gators the win.

The lone point for Arkansas came on court one, as No. 65 Salazar defeated No. 8 Perez 6-4, 6-4 to give Salazar his sixth ranked win of the season.

Jose Alonso would go on to fall to Kessler in two sets 7-5, 6-4 on court six. Court two was the only court to go three sets, as Sanjurjo fell to No. 11 Ingildsen 6-4, 3-6, 10-6, as the court went to a 10-point third-set tiebreaker following the clinch.

Arkansas will return to action next Sunday, as the Razorbacks host a triple header on Easter day. Arkansas will start the evening with an SEC match against Alabama at 1 p.m., followed by a doubleheader with Nebraska-Omaha.

No. 9 Florida 6, Arkansas 1

Singles Results – Order of finish (3,4,5,1,6,2)
1. No. 65 Salazar (AR) def. No. 8 Perez (UF) 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 11 Ingildsen (UF) def. Sanjurjo (AR) 6-4, 3-6, 10-6
3. No. 51 Crawford (UF) def. Mesquida (AR) 6-1, 6-0
4. Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Reco (AR) 6-3, 6-2
5. Andrade (UF) def. P. Alonso (AR) 6-3, 6-2
6. Kessler (UF) def. J. Alonso (AR) 7-5, 6-4

Doubles Results – Order of finish (2,1,3)
1. Mesquida/Sanjurjo (AR) def. No. 1 Perez/Ingildsen (UF) 6-3
2. No. 32 Kessler/Vale (UF) def. Salazar/Reco (AR) 6-3
3. No. 8 Perez/Blanco (UF) def. P. Alonso/J. Alonso (AR) 7-5

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