Lubbock, Texas—The University of New Mexico men’s tennis team fought a hard battle against Arizona for the second match of the day, but fell short 4-2.
The Lobos swept Arizona in doubles play, winning the first two matches and clinching the doubles point. No. 8 duo Hayden Sabatka and Bart Van Leijsen defeated Harry Busby and Olivier Plaskett 6-2. Jorge Escutia and Ricky Hernandez-Tong also came out victorious as they beat Trent Botha and Will Adkisson 6-2.
In singles play, Hayden Sabatka, who played at number one, and Rodolfo Jauregui who played at number four, both met the same fate falling 6-0, 6-1 to their opponent. Bart Van Leijsen followed, getting a point for the Lobos after he defeated Busby in three-set match, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2.
The Lobos fought hard, but could not clinch any more wins. Ge and Escutia fell to their opponents 7-6, 7-5 and 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. They competed in the number six and number three position respectively.
“This is a tough one to swallow,” said head coach Bart Scott. “We have to give credit to Arizona. They fought hard and deserved the win. We had many chances to take control of the match and get to the finish line, but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
Scott added that the good news is the two teams will meet again this weekend and they have four more matches here in Lubbock to look forward to.
The Lobos face no. 19 Texas Tech tomorrow at 11 a.m. followed by a rematch against Arizona at 3 p.m.
Lobos Fall to Arizona 4-2
