No. 25 Auburn came up short in a 4-3 loss at No. 56 Arkansas Friday evening at the Billingsley Tennis Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas got the early advantage winning the doubles point. Jacob Sweeney and Hunter Harrison defeated Auburn's Raul Dobai and Maxwell Giddens on court three by a 6-1 count, and then Melvin Manuel and Adrien Burdet clinched the doubles point for Arkansas with a 6-3 win on court two over Jan Galka and Tyler Stice.
Although the Razorbacks picked up all first sets in singles, the Tigers rallied to force a third set in four of the matches. That wasn't enough to pull the Tigers through, as Arkansas got wins on courts four, five and six to take a 4-0 lead and clinch the match.
Tad Maclean, playing Oscar Pinto Sansano on court three, added a point for the Tigers in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory, as did Tyler Stice with a 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8) third-set tiebreaker win over No. 95 Alex Reco on court one. Jan Galka finished the scoring for the Tigers with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Nico Rousset on court two.
Auburn is 12-3 for the spring season and 1-1 in SEC play. Arkansas is 10-6 overall and 1-2 in SEC action.
Auburn concludes the week at home Sunday hosting Alabama in a 1 p.m. match. All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn) and admission is free. Fans Sunday will receive free All Auburn All Orange t-shirts while supplies last.
#56 Arkansas 4, #25 Auburn 3
Singles
#83 Tyler Stice (AU) def. #95 Alex Reco (Ark) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
#124 Jan Galka (AU) def. Nico Rousset (Ark) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
#110 Tad Maclean (AU) def. Oscar Pinto Sansano (Ark) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Adrien Burdet (Ark) def. Raul Dobai (AU) 6-1, 6-4
Melvin Manuel (Ark) def. Will Nolan (AU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
#47 Aleksa Bucan (Ark) def. Finn Murgett (AU) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles
Maclean/Murgett (AU) v Rousset/Reco (Ark) 5-4 unfinished
Galka/Stice (AU) v Manuel/Burdet (Ark) def. Galka/Stice (AU) 6-3
Jacob Sweeney/Hunter Harrison (Ark) def. Dobai/Maxwell Giddens (AU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2; Singles: 4,5,6,3,1,2