SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Fresh off its fourth win of the season, the Santa Clara men's tennis team goes for its first road victory of the season this weekend against No. 29 University of Tulsa and No. 59 University of Arkansas. The Broncos and Golden Hurricanes will do battle on Friday at 11 a.m. before challenging the Razorbacks at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
During the Coach Mills era, Santa Clara is 0-2 against the Razorbacks, both in the form of 4-3 defeats. The Broncos have never faced the Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa during that eight-year span.
"This weekend will be a difficult test for our squad," said Mills. "Our guys have played well against ranked opponents this season and these tough matches will only make us better down the road. We need to come out with intensity and play with some fire."
The Broncos
Two matches above .500, the Broncos enter this weekend's matches riding a one-match winning streak after sweeping the University of California, Santa Cruz 7-0 last Saturday.
Leading the Broncos at the No. 1 singles position, Ashot Khacharyan is 4-2 at that spot and currently riding a two-match winning streak. One more victory for the Santa Clara senior will give him 55 career singles victories.
Competing at spots two and three respectively, freshmen Robert Seby and Andrew Gu both possess 4-1 records at their positions. Despite falling in their previous matches, both competitors responded with straight-set victories against the Banana Slugs.
Leading the Broncos with eight singles victories on the year, Connor Garnett powers the Broncos at the No. 4 spot. Next door, Kamran Khan has locked down the No. 5 spot during the spring season. Both freshmen are 5-1 in dual matches at their respective positions and are currently riding two-match winning streaks.
Managing the final singles position, sophomore Sebastien Mathieu is 3-2 on the season while competing at the No. 6 spot. The London, England native's victories have all come in straight-set fashion.
In doubles, the No. 2 doubles pairing of Garnett and Seby continues to lead the Broncos with their 4-1 record. Right behind, the No. 1 tandem of Khacharyan and Gu along with the No. 3 duo of Khan and Jeffrey Liang possess three wins on the season.
Tulsa
The Golden Hurricanes enter Friday's match with a 5-2 record on the season, including a 4-1 mark while competing on their home courts. In its most recent match, Tulsa rolled to a 6-1 victory over Arkansas.
At the No. 1 singles position, Or Ram-Harel comes in on a one match winning streak after taking down his Arkansas opponent in straight sets. Despite the victory, the junior is just 2-4 competing at the top position.
Behind Ram-Harel, Carlos Bautista leads the Golden Hurricanes with the most wins at any one position in singles. Competing at the No. 2 spot, the senior is 4-1 in dual matches.
Tulsa has featured four different competitors at the No. 3, 4 and 5 positions this season. Most recently, Dylan McCloskey took the reigns of the third position, falling to his Arkansas opponent in straight sets and evening his record to 1-1 at that position. Next door at the No. 4 position, Juan Gonzalez, standing 6-feet-2-inches tall and riding a four match winning streak, grabbed a three set victory in his last match after playing at that position for the first time this season. Majed Kilani also grabbed a victory while competing at the No. 5 position for the first time this season against the Razorbacks.
Rounding out the Golden Hurricanes attack, Francois Kellerman recently took over control of the No. 6 spot, resulting in a come-from-behind victory in three sets.
In doubles, Matthew Kirby and McCloskey primary handle responsibility on the No. 1 court. Boasting a 2-3 record in dual matches, the duo came away with a 6-4 victory against Arkansas. Bautista and Gonzalez, Tulsa's winningest doubles pairing this season, enters Friday's match with a 7-4 record on the year and 4-1 mark in dual matches. At the No. 3 position, the Golden Hurricanes have posted four different duos this season.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks enter Sunday's match with a 4-2 record on the season, not including their match on Saturday with Jackson State University. While competing at home, the Razorbacks are 3-1. To date, Arkansas has a win against No. 51 Southern Methodist University but losses against No. 17 Oklahoma State University and No. 31 Tulsa.
During the past two matches, Mike Redlicki has led the Razorbacks at the No. 1 singles spot, posting a record of 1-1. Behind Redlicki, Jose Salazar has primarily played at the No. 2 position as of late, winning twice.
During the last three outings, three different Razorback competitors have seen time at the third position. Most recently, Juan Marino fell 7-5, 7-5 against his Oral Roberts University competitor. At the No. 4 spot, Santiago Munoz is 0-2 in his last two outings, falling twice in three set fashion.
In the final two singles positions, a number of different competitors have combined to post a 2-4 record during the past three matches. In Arkansas' last match, William Albanese was defeated 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot while Adam Sanjurjo responded to capture a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory at the No. 6 spot.
Over in doubles, the No. 1 duo of Giammarco Micolani and Redlicki is fresh off a 6-4 victory against the No. 27 ranked doubles team in the country. Unable to find the same success, Salazar and Sanjuro are 0-2 during their last two matches at the second spot. The No. 3 pairing of Johan dem Toom and Munoz controls a .500 mark of 1-1 in their last two outings.
