Lobos Outlast Portland 4-3
PORTLAND, Ore. — The University of New Mexico nearly missed its flight home, but the race to the airport was totally worth it. Playing indoors on only three courts, the Lobos and host Portland Pilots waged an epic battle, but Dario Ciobotaru’s third set tiebreaker win kept UNM alive, and Nicolas Recoura’s win at No. 6 singles clinched a wild 4-3 victory that took just under five hours to play. The win moved UNM to 3-3 on the season, and Portland likewise dropped to 3-3.
Early on it looked like UNM would barely need two hours to net itself a win as the Lobos made quick work in doubles. Aram Noroozian and Georgio Samaha won 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, the pair’s eighth consecutive win dating back to last November. That was coupled with Avery Tallakson and Daio Ciobotaru at No. 3 doubles winning 6-4, and UNM had a 1-0 lead.
With only singles 1, 2, and 3 able to go, the Lobos took the first sets in all three and were second set wins away from a 4-0 sweep. That did not happen. Noroozian won again at No. 1 singles, this time 6-2, 6-3 over Maxim Groysman for a 2-0 lead, but both Georgio Samaha at No. 2 singles and Daniil Kakhniuk at No. 3 singles dropped their second sets. Ciobotaru started his match on Noroozian’s court against Tom Garcia, and his match would go on for a while.
Portland tied it when Niola Keremedchiev bounced back to win over Samaha 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 and Stefan Skobelev won over Kakhniuk 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-1. That put No. 5 and 6 singles in motion, and UNM fell behind quickly at No. 5 singles as Portland’s Lucas Kimelman won his first set 6-1 over Avery Tallakson but UNM’s Recoura won 6-1 over Cade Fernando.
That meant Ciobotaru’s match was the critical lynchpin holding the fortunes of UNM, and it didn’t look good when after splitting the first two sets he went down 5-3 in the third set. However, he saved a match point and got a break of serve to eventually trail on serve at 6-5. He then sent the match to a tiebreaker, and sitting at 3-3 and then 4-4, he patiently waited Garcia out. First Garcia returned long for 5-4, and than Ciobotaru was able to get Garcia moving side to side and winning that point for 6-4 and set point. Garcia then could do nothing with Dario’s forehand winner, putting it harmlessly into the middle of the net for a win just as Tallakson lost to Kimelman.
That left everything to Recoura, who was murderous on his serve, never losing a service game. He needed just one break in the second set, which came early, and he served out the match, winning just seven minutes shy of four hours.
Now UNM has to get rest and head right back out on the road, this time going east for three matches in Murfreesboro, Tennessee starting on Friday, playing South Alabama, Middle Tennessee State and Utah.
NOTES: Noroozian now leads the team with a 12-7 singles record … Recoura was originally not in the singles lineup, but entered with Aditya Balkesar was pulled just before singles started … UNM went 2-1 in tiebreakers on the day.