Huskers Fall at Arkansas, Defeat Cowboys
Huskers Fall at Arkansas, Defeat CowboysHuskers Fall at Arkansas, Defeat Cowboys
Men's Tennis

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