Salazar, Redlicki Start Strong At National Indoors
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – Jose Salazar and Mike Redlicki began their respective weekends on the right foot Thursday afternoon, dispatching both of their Round of 32 opponents at the ITA/USTA National Indoor Championships.
Salazar, the No. 45 player in the nation, won another three-set thriller, defeating UNLV’s Jakob Amilon, the No. 124 player in the nation, 7-5, 6-7 (8), 7-5.
Trailing 5-4 in the third set, Salazar broke back to tie it at 5-5, held serve to lead 6-5 and then broke Amilon’s serve again to win 7-5, his seventh break point won in the match. The two players were just separated by just five total points for the entire match (113-108).
Later in the day, Redlicki, the No. 11 player in the nation, rolled to a 6-1, 6-4 win over California’s Andre Goransson, the No. 17 player in the nation. Redlicki won 54 of 88 total points, including five aces, and had his serve broken just once in the match.
“It was a good start today for Jose and Mike,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “They both beat high-level players. Jose had a match point in the second set and was down a match point in the third. He was so tough and so smart in those big moments today. Mike played sharp and won in straight sets against a player who was the runner-up here last year. Tomorrow is a big day and both of them will be challenged.”
With their two wins, Arkansas is the only SEC school and one of four schools nationally, along with Ohio State, Virginia and Wake Forest, with multiple players remaining in the main draw.
In tomorrow’s Round of 16, Salazar will face UCLA’s Gage Brymer, the No. 38 player in the nation, while Redlicki will face Ole Miss’ Gustav Hansson, the No. 18 player in the nation. The quarterfinals are also set for tomorrow, followed by the semifinals Saturday and the final Sunday.
Live scoring and updated draws will be available for the entire tournament on the official ITA event page here, and every match court will be streamed live throughout the tournament on FloTennis. A subscription-based company, FloTennis offers its users monthly and annual rate payment options.
ITA/USTA National Indoor Championships:
Thursday Results:
- (Round of 32) Jose Salazar def. Jakob Amilon (UNLV), 7-5, 6-7 (8), 7-5
- (Round of 32) No. 7 Mike Redlicki def. Andre Goransson (California), 6-1, 6-4
Friday Schedule:
- (Round of 16) Jose Salazar vs. Gage Brymer (UCLA) at 9:30 a.m.
- (Round of 16) No. 7 Mike Redlicki vs. Gustav Hansson (Ole Miss) at 9:45 a.m.
For more information on Arkansas men’s tennis, follow @RazorbackMTEN on Twitter.
