UTSA men’s tennis lost 4-0 to Southern Methodist University on Wednesday at Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex.
The Roadrunners (5-8) positioned themselves to take the lead over the Mustangs (10-10) in doubles, though ultimately lost as they struggled to gain control on courts one and three during their singles matchups.
“We did a pretty good job with doubles. We had good energy,” coach Sasha Gozun said. “Number two did fantastic, and number one hung in there from point to point, but our minds slipped away.”
Freshman Oskar Grzegorzewski and senior Danijal Muminovic teamed up for the first time since their season-opener against Texas A&M University. This time, they beat their opponents 6-3 on court two.
Senior doubles duo Tiago Torres and Miguel Alonso met their match against Georgi Georgiev and Ofek Shimanov on court one. Tied at 3-3, the Mustangs’ only international athletes attempted to tire out Alonso by hitting the ball to him four times in a row. Georgiev and Shimanov moved closer into their service boxes but spread farther apart as they worked to defend their side of the court. Alonso saw his opportunity and sliced a ball between them to set the Roadrunners on an uphill path. The pairs traded game points until they entered a tiebreaker at 6-6. Despite their efforts, Alonso and Torres lost 7 (7) – 6 (3).
Freshmen Ben Chetewy Ungar and Enzo Vargas took an uncontested 3-0 lead before the Mustangs earned a single point. The two gained one more game point before losing 6-4 on court three.
“Disappointing,” Gozun said of the match’s start. “In doubles, we showed that we’re here to battle, and we were really close. In singles, we just weren’t able to keep up that same energy.”
No. 100 Torres lost his singles 6-2, 6-3 to Trevor Svajda on court one, and Grzegorzewski lost 6-2 on court three.
Freshman Jakub Wlodarczyk and Muminovic claimed the first set point in their singles matches. Both led their counterparts at 2-1. Wlodarczyk only won two more game points before losing 6-3, 6-1 against Maks Silagy. Due to the sweep, Muminovic, Vargas and Chetewy Ungar all left with unfinished matches.
“They weren’t locked in. They didn’t show up. They didn’t want to compete today,” Gozun stated. “[They struggled with] individual mental challenges. Everyone has mental challenges throughout the year, and we’re working through those things. It’s tough, especially for freshman and first-year newcomers. We’re just trying to figure out the team culture, the team bonding and the individual stuff.”
UTSA will head back to the Southwest to take on Northern Arizona University March 22 at Linda Estes Tennis Complex.
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