The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tulane
No. 6 Men’s Tennis defeats Tulane, 4-3
02.27.2021 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns opened a four-match road stretch with a win in New Orleans on Saturday.
New Orleans – No. 6 Texas Men's Tennis opened a four-match road stretch with a 4-3 over Tulane at City Park Tennis Center in New Orleans on Saturday.
The Longhorns used a pair of 6-2 wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to claim that point and followed with singles wins by junior Nevin Arimilli at No. 6, sophomore No. 120 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, and freshman No. 78 Micah Braswell at No. 3, breaking a 3-3 tie to clinch in three sets.
Braswell's 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-1 win over Luis Erlenbusch was one of three singles contests to go to three sets, and after a tightly-contested first two sets, Braswell closed strong in the third for the win.
"We all knew Tulane was going to be a tough team coming into the match, so when things got tough, I felt prepared for the moment and knew that I had to focus on what my coaches have taught me and to keep fighting for my teammates and Texas," Braswell said. "Thankfully, we were able to get the win and improve as a team."
Following the doubles point, it was Arimilli who got off the court first in singles with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Fynn Kuenkler to extend the Texas lead to 2-0. However, Tulane responded with wins at No. 5 by Rafael de Alba over sophomore Evin McDonald (6-3, 7-5), and Billy Suarez over sophomore Cleeve Harper (7-5, 6-0) to even it at 2-2.
Spizzirri then regained the lead for Texas with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win over No. 40 Hamish Stewart for his second straight win over a ranked opponent. That left two matches on the court, and after No. 53 Ewan Moore topped sophomore No. 57 Siem Woldeab in three sets (6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4), it set the stage for the Braswell clinch.
Earlier in doubles, Harper partnered with junior Chih Chi Huang at No. 2 where they earned a 6-2 win over Suarez and Akos Kotorman, and shortly later Spizzirri and Woldeab clinched the point by the same score against Moore and Stewart. In the lone unfinished match, Braswell and sophomore Jacob Bullard led Erlenbusch and Kuenkler, 5-4, when play stopped.
The Longhorns' road stretch continues with matches at No. 23 Oklahoma State on Friday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. CT, at Oklahoma on Sunday, March 7 at 12 p.m. CT and at Rice on Friday, March 12 at 1 p.m. CT.
#6 Texas 4, Tulane 3
Singles – Order of Finish (6,5,4,1,2,3)
1. #120 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #40 Hamish Stewart (TLN) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
2. #53 Ewan Moore (TLN) def. #57 Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4
3. #78 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Luis Erlenbusch (TLN) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1
4. Billy Suarez (TLN) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 7-5, 6-0
5. Rafael de Alba (TLN) def. Evin McDonald (UT) 6-3, 7-5
6. Nevin Arimilli (UT) def. Fynn Kuenkler (TLN) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,1)
1. Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Hamish Stewart/Ewan Moore (TLN) 6-2
2. Chih Chi Huang/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Akos Kotorman/Billy Suarez (TLN) 6-2
3. Luis Erlenbusch/Fynn Kuenkler (TLN) vs. Micah Braswell/Jacob Bullard (UT) 4-5, unf.
Players Mentioned
