Lobos Speed Past Ragin' Cajuns 6-1

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s been a simple equation for the 2024 Lobos.  Win the doubles point, win the match.  Against Louisiana on Friday afternoon, that’s exactly how it played out.

Paced by a wild doubles win in the clincher by Arda Azkara and Alex Maggs, UNM secured the doubles point and raced to a 5-0 lead before ultimately winning 6-1 to move to 3-2 on the season.

That UNM won the doubles point turned on a strange point. At 5-5 and deuce, it looked like Louisiana’s No. 1 pair of Alejandro Gonzales and Sacha Grandvincent had taken a 5-4 lead, but a replay was awarded due to the ball splitting and breaking on a Lobo return.  The UL duo had already celebrated and headed to the bench, but the point had to be replayed, and Azkara and Maggs made the most of it.

After a Maggs return, Azkara unleashed a laser beam that hugged the line giving UNM a service break and a 6-5 lead in the deciding doubles match.  Ryoma Matsushita and Avery Tallakson took a 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles to reciprocate a 6-2 loss at No. 2 by Georgio Samaha and Nicolas Recoura, playing in front of his parents who flew to America for the first time to visit from France.

Up 6-5, Maggs served out the set to give the Lobos a 1-0 lead in the match.  That sent the match to singles with a Lobo lead, and so far that’s been the recipe for success as UNM’s two losses this season were both 4-3, both times losing the doubles point.

Up 1-0, the Lobos grabbed opening sets quickly with Arda Azkara taking No. 1 singles 6-2 over Samuel Kyjaci.  That was followed by Aram Noroozian at No. 2, Arthur Bellegy at No. 3, and Rafael Abdulsalam at No. 5 singles.

UNM nearly had a fifth but Alex Maggs dropped a 7-5 opening set despite a 5-4 lead.  It didn’t matter.  Azkara did what Azkara does, winning 6-2, 6-1, and running his career record at No. 1 at home to 21-0.  Up 2-0, Bellegy quickly made it 3-0 with a 6-4, 6-3 win, pushing him to 4-0 at No. 3 singles.

Up 3-0, UNM needed a win as Noroozian was forced into a third set and Maggs and Samaha likewise forced third sets.  Abdulsalam was in a service battle with    Vasil Dimitrov, each holding serve through 12 games.  In the tiebreaker Dimitrov served first and scored, but Abdulsalam put a stranglehold on the set with a run of five straight points including an ace.

Up 5-1, Dimitrov got it back to 5-4, but with Abdulsalam serving, his first serve was returned long, and after a return, Dimitrov again hit long to give UNM a clinching win.

All that remained was the even flights.  Samaha, who was down 3-0 early in the match, won 15 of the final 24 games for an emphatic 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win to move to 5-0 in the spring and giving him nine straight wins and a 13-2 overall record.

Noroozian fell at No. 2, losing 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 and Alex Maggs won at No. 6 in a tight match 5-7, 7-5, 7-5

The Lobos play a pair of matches on Super Bowl Sunday, hosting Utah at noon and Western New Mexico at 4 pm, both inside the Linda Estes Tennis Bubbles.  Fans can watch at www.golobos.com/watchmtennis and follow the stats at www.golobos.com/mtennisstats.

NOTES: Bellegy and Samaha each have a team-best 13 wins … Azkara and Samaha are both 9-1 in their last 10 matches … UNM moved over .500 for the first time this season … the doubles loss for Recoura and Samaha was their first of the Spring.