Huskers Fall at Arkansas, Defeat Cowboys

The Nebraska men’s tennis notched another 1-1 weekend, traveling to Arkansas and Oklahoma State for duals. The Huskers (4-2) started at the Razorbacks (7-2) on Friday, but fell in their first scoreless dual of the season. Sunday afternoon, the Big Red bounced back, defeating the Cowboys (1-5) with a 5-2 win.

Husker duo Leo Linquet and Joan Torres Espinosa went 2-0 on the trip, improving to 5-1 in the spring. Nebraska’s next challenge is taking on Baylor in Lincoln on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. CT.

Friday evening, doubles matches started against Arkansas. Nebraska’s Anton Shepp and Lars Johann fell to Barun/Jakic on Court One, 6-4. The Court Three matchup of Linquet and Torres Espinosa against Emesz/Palovic ended in a Husker victory, 6-3. However, Arkansas was able to take the doubles point after Smillie/Vrba finished 6-4 over Calvin Mueller and Nikolay Sysoev.

Trailing 1-0, Nebraska looked for redemption in the singles matches. Torres Espinosa met No. 85 Jakub Vrba on Court Four, and fell 6-3, 6-3. Arkansas took their third point on Court One, with Barun defeating Mueller 6-4, 6-1. Shepp and Palovic battled at No. 2 singles closely in the first set, with Palovic pulling out the 7-6(2) victory, and was also able to win the second set 6-4. 

With the fourth point awarded to the Razorbacks, the matches on courts three, five, and six were left unfinished. Sysoev took the first set, but Jakic forced a third before the match was abandoned at 6-4, 4-6, 3-2. Johann was also leading in the third when his match with Emesz was abandoned, 4-6, 6-3, 5-4 UF. The match between Linquet and Jean-Baptiste Badon ended 6-7(5), 6-3. Playing to clinch, the Huskers fell 4-0, and Arkansas’ all-time series record improved to 7-0 against NU.

The Big Red returned to the courts on Sunday afternoon, this time in Stillwater, Okla., up against the Cowboys, who finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 29. Beginning with doubles, Linquet/Torres Espinosa claimed a dominant 6-1 win over Onofrei/Stecker. Next to finish was Court One where Basile/Kobelt defeated Johann/Shepp, 6-4, to even the doubles matches. At No. 2 doubles, Mueller/Sysoev were able to clinch the doubles point for the Big Red, winning 6-4 against Becroft/Pham.

With the doubles point claimed, the Huskers and Cowboys began singles action. Court Three was the first to finish, as Marino Jakic took down Sysoev, 6-1, 6-3. Shepp fired back on Court Three, after a dominant first set and tight second, to best Derek Pham, 6-0, 7-5. Roni Hietaranta pushed the team lead to two with a three-set victory at No. 4 singles. The senior defeated Nicolas Kobelt 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

On Court One, No. 108 Isaac Becroft used two nail-biter sets to win over Mueller, 7-6(4), 7-6(8). Redshirt freshman Colson Wells was next to finish, in another tight match. At No. 6, Wells defeated Ben Stecker 7-5, 6(5)-7, 6-3, clinching the Husker win. Johann’s match on Court Five was the last on, and ended in another Big Red singles point as the junior won 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, over Ian Bracks.

Nebraska took the 5-2 win to improve to 4-2 on the season, and hand the Cowboys their fifth loss of the season.

UP NEXT
The Huskers return to the Dillon Tennis to host Baylor. The dual will begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Feb. 7. There will be giveaways for fans in attendance, and parking and admission are free.

Nebraska 0, Arkansas 4
Doubles competition:
1. Bozo Barun/Marino Jakic (ARK) def. Lars Johann/Anton Shepp (NEB) 6-4
2. Connor Smillie/Jakub Vrba (ARK) def. Calvin Mueller/Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) 6-4
3. Leo Linquet/Joan Torres Espinosa (NEB) def. Benni Emesz/Lukas Palovic (ARK) 6-3

Singles competition:
1. Bozo Barun (ARK) def. Calvin Mueller (NEB) 6-4, 6-1
2. Lukas Palovic (ARK) def. Anton Shepp (NEB) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
3. Marino Jakic (ARK) vs. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) 4-6, 6-4, 2-3 UF
4. No. 85 Jakub Vrba (ARK) def. Joan Torres Espinosa (NEB) 6-3, 6-3
5. Benni Emesz (ARK) vs. Lars Johann (NEB) 6-4, 3-6, 4-5 UF
6. Jean-Baptiste Badon (ARK) vs. Leo Linquet (NEB) 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 0-0 UF

Nebraska 5, Oklahoma St. 2
Doubles competition:
1. Alessio Basile and Nicolas Kobelt (OSU) def. Lars Johann and Anton Shepp (NEB) 6-4
2. Calvin Mueller and Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) def. Isaac Becroft and Derek Pham (OSU) 6-4
3. Leo Linquet and Joan Torres Espinosa (NEB) def. Matei Onofrei and Ben Stecker (OSU) 6-1

Singles competition:
1. #108 Isaac Becroft (OSU) def. Calvin Mueller (NEB) 7-6(4), 7(10)-6(8)
2. Anton Shepp (NEB) def. Derek Pham (OSU) 6-0, 7-5
3. Alessio Basile (OSU) def. Nikolay Sysoev (NEB) 6-1, 6-3
4. Roni Hietaranta (NEB) def. Nicolas Kobelt (OSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
5. Lars Johann (NEB) def. Ian Bracks (OSU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
6. Colson Wells (NEB) def. Ben Stecker (OSU) 7-5, 6(5)-7, 6-3