Redlicki Advances In Singles, Salazar Looks Ahead To Doubles

ATHENS, Ga. – Two Arkansas men’s tennis seniors split their individual matches in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

No. 10 Mike Redlicki started the day, defeating No. 63 Johannes Schretter of Baylor 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. After dropping the first set, the senior found himself in a 4-4 tie in the second set. Winning the final two games, Redlicki was able to survive Schretter and send it to a third set. After holding serve in the first game, Redlicki broke Schretter and took the early 2-0 lead in the final set. Schretter closed the gap at 4-3 but was never able to gain the advantage over Redlicki. The lefty won the last two games to win 6-3 and advance to Thursday’s round of 32 where he will face 55th-ranked Yuya Ito of Texas at 8 a.m. CT for a trip to the Sweet 16.

Redlicki improved to 28-10 overall this season, 11-8 this spring. Against ranked competition, he is 20-7 overall during his senior campaign, 9-6 this spring. The Chicago native improved to 2-2 in his three NCAA singles championship appearances.

Redlicki’s win marked the first by a Razorback in the NCAA singles championship since Blake Stroud advanced to the semifinals in 2009.

No. 39 Jose Salazar and 13th-ranked Skander Mansouri of Wake Forest were set to begin play earlier this afternoon when things were halted due to lightning in the area. That turned out to be only the first of three weather-related delays during the first set. Salazar and Mansouri found themselves locked in a 3-3 tie when play was halted for the second time. The delay was short lived and Mansouri pulled out to a 5-4 lead after play resumed. The weather intervened for the final time, before Mansouri closed out Salazar in the first set 6-4. Salazar went on to drop the second set 6-4.

Salazar drops to 30-9 overall record this season in singles play, 19-6 this spring. He finishes 9-5 overall against ranked opponents, 7-2 this spring.

Salazar will turn his attention to doubles play where he and Redlicki will team up to face 16th-ranked Herkko Pollanen and Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. CT in the first round of the NCAA doubles championship. The sixth-ranked tandem went 10-7 this spring, 13-8 overall on the year.

RESULTS
#10 Mike Redlicki (AR) def. #63 Johannes Schretter (BU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
#13 Skander Mansouri (WF) def. #39 Jose Salazar (AR) 6-4, 6-4

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