Men's Tennis Dominates Opening Weekend in Tucson
TUCSON, Ariz. — If the opening weekend is any indication, the 2023-24 Lobo men’s tennis team is going to be good.
Really good.
The Lobos absolutely dominated the University of Arizona Wildcat Classic, winning three of four singles flights and and one of two doubles flights to take home four of the six possible titles on the weekend. Newcomers Arthur Bellegy and Nicolas Recoura won singles titles as did senior Rafael Abdulsalam, and the pairing of Ryoma Matsushita and Avery Tallakson won in doubles. UNM also won the other doubles title as Abdulsalam and Aram Noroozian lost in the finals.
Overall, the Lobos went 16-5 in singles and 8-2 in doubles, with Abdulsalam, Bellegy and Recoura all going a perfect 3-0. In doubles, Matsushita and Tallakson went 4-0 to lead the way.
Bellegy won the Red Draw, winning all three of his matches in straight sets including a solid 6-2, 6-3 win over Arizona’s Sasha Rozin. Abdulsalam won the White Drawm needing a semifinal comeback against Arizona’s Dominique Rolland, winning 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 before taking out Gonzaga’s Pablo Gomez Galvin in the title match.
Recoura needed three sets twice, including his final, rebounding from an opening set loss to UNLV’s Lance Urlaub to win 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3. While those three all went 3-0, Noroozian, Georgia Samaha and Avery Tallakson all went 2-1 on the weekend.
In doubles, Matsushita and Tallakson defeated teams from New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, UNLV and Arizona, winning 6-4 over hosts Dominique Rolland and Eric Padgham.
UNM’s other two doubles teams of Samaha and Recoura and Noroozian and Abdulsalam each went 2-1. Noroozian and Abdulsalam nearly picked up a title and a ranked win, falling 6-4 in the title match to No. 34 Sasha Trkulja and Matthew Hollinsgworth of Gonzaga.
