Texas Tech men’s tennis pushed No. 8 Arizona into three sets across all six singles matches, but the Wildcats pulled away for a 4-1 Big 12 win.
Texas Tech men’s tennis showed plenty of fight Sunday, but No. 8 Arizona had just enough firepower to leave Lubbock with a 4-1 win over the Red Raiders at the McLeod Tennis Center.
Even in defeat, Texas Tech made the Wildcats work for nearly every point, forcing a third set on all six singles courts and pushing one of the nation’s top teams deep into the afternoon.
READ MORE: Texas Tech Softball Sweeps BYU in 12-4 Rout
The match turned early with the doubles point. Arizona grabbed the opening edge by winning courts one and three, despite Texas Tech getting a solid 6-4 victory from Sebastian Abboud and Tyler Stewart at the No. 2 spot.
That early 1-0 deficit meant the Red Raiders had little room for error once singles began.
Arizona extended its lead with a pair of tight singles wins. Alejandro Arcila outlasted Thomas Van Den Dooren 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 on court six, and No. 59 Filip Gustafsson followed with a hard-fought 6-0, 6-7 (8), 6-3 win over Stewart on court two.
Stewart’s effort stood out even in the loss, as he erased three match points in the second set to force a decider and keep Texas Tech alive.
The Red Raiders finally broke through at court three, where Ludovico Vaccari delivered one of the best wins of the day.
After dropping a first-set tiebreak to No. 82 Alexander Rozin, Vaccari completely flipped the match, rolling 6-1, 6-1 over the final two sets for his second ranked singles win of the season.
That cut the Arizona lead to 3-1, but the Wildcats closed the door on the top court. No. 4 Jay Friend responded after losing the first set to Niksa Arsic and came back 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the team victory.
Texas Tech still had momentum brewing elsewhere, with Felipe Pagnacco and Thiago Guglieri both locked in third sets when play stopped.
The Red Raiders now turn their attention to Baylor, which visits Lubbock on Thursday for senior day.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community for FREE! Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable App to stay even more connected!