The No. 17 Texas Tech men’s tennis team opened the Brett Masi era on a strong note with a 5-0 win over Arizona followed by a 4-2 victory versus Pacific Friday at the McLeod Tennis Center.
 
The Red Raiders (2-0) continue their opening weekend with a Saturday doubleheader versus No. 41 New Mexico (12 p.m.) and Pacific (4 p.m.). Admission is free to the McLeod Tennis Center.
 
“I was impressed with our guys because they took all the right steps toward playing well in the process,” Texas Tech head coach Brett Masi said. “Our players stayed the course, took care of business and took it to the opposition.”
 
Texas Tech got off to a quick start against Arizona and claimed the doubles point after two matches. Hugo Dojas and Felipe Soares, the nation’s No. 2 doubles team, earned their first victory with a 6-2 triumph against Arizona’s Harry Busby and Oliver Plaskett on court one.
 
The Red Raiders closed out the doubles point courtesy of a 6-4 win by Alex Sendegeya and Bjorn Thomson over Naoki Takeda and Shoki Kasahara on court two. Court three went unfinished with Tech’s Connor Curry and Jolan Cailleau holding a 5-4 edge over Will Adkisson and Trent Botha.
 
In singles action, it was the bottom of the Texas Tech lineup doing the heavy lifting with victories on courts three through six. Thomson dialed up his first career win as the freshman collected a 6-3, 6-0 decision over Kasahara at the No. 6 position. 
 
Curry kept the momentum going for the Red Raiders on court five with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory versus Oliver Plaskett to vault Tech advantage to 3-0. Dojas provided the clinching point with an efficient 6-2, 6-1 win against Trent Botha in the No. 3 slot, and Cailleau tucked away a 6-1, 6-4 triumph on court five for the final margin of 5-0.
 
The Red Raiders faced a 1-0 deficit in their second match after Pacific picked up wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions, respectively.
 
“In doubles, Pacific came right at us. They’re a well-coached doubles team,” Masi said. “I felt like we were a little intimidated by how they were playing. We had some tight first sets in singles, but we made some adjustments. It’s different for each guy. For some, it was about picking up their energy a little bit. For others, it was working on a strategy.”
 
However, Texas Tech regrouped in singles. Once again, it was Thomson who put the Red Raiders on the scoreboard with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Pacific’s Kumara Adavelly to knot the ledger at 1-1.
 
The Red Raiders grabbed a 2-1 lead courtesy of Curry who piled up a 6-2, 6-1 win over Pacific’s Jose Chamba on court four. Curry dropped a combined four games during his two wins on opening day.
 
After trailing 4-1 during the opening set, Cailleau ripped off 12 of the next 13 games to secure a 7-5, 6-0 win over Pacific’s Daniel Alameh on court three to extend Tech’s lead to 3-1.  
 
Pacific drew back within 3-2 when Miguel Diaz upended Sendegeya by a 6-2, 6-4 margin at the No. 2 position.
 
On court one, Soares battled to a 7-6 (4) win in the first set against Pacific’s Sem Verbeek. He raced out to an early double break and a 4-1 advantage during set two before closing out the match with a 6-2 triumph. 
 
“I want to see some of the same things I saw today, and what our players can give us,” Masi said. “I’m going to keep challenging the guys as each day progresses. As each day goes on, guys may get a little tired, and it may get a little more hectic so I want to how we handle those things mentally.”
 
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men’s tennis program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TechMensTennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
 
Match 1
No. 17 Texas Tech 5, Arizona 0
01/15/16 at Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Texas Center)
 
Singles
1. No. 8 Felipe Soares (Texas Tech) led #37 Naoki Takeda (Arizona): 6-2, 2-2
2. Harry Busby (Arizona) led No. 35 Alex Sendegeya (Texas Tech): 6-4, 3-4
3. Hugo Dojas (Texas Tech) defeats Trent Botha (Arizona): 6-2, 6-1
4. Jolan Cailleau (Texas Tech) defeats Jason Jaruvang (Arizona): 6-1, 6-4
5. Connor Curry (Texas Tech) defeats Oliver Plaskett (Arizona): 6-1, 6-0
6. Bjorn Thomson (Texas Tech) defeats Shoki Kasahara (Arizona): 6-3, 6-0
 
Doubles
1. No. 2 Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares (Texas Tech) defeats Harry Busby/Oliver Plaskett (Arizona): 6-2
2. Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson (Texas Tech) defeats Naoki Takeda/Shoki Kasahara (Arizona): 6-4
3. Connor Curry/Jolan Cailleau (Texas Tech) led Will Adkisson/Trent Botha (Arizona): 5-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,5,3,4)
No. 17 Texas Tech (1-0); Arizona (0-1)
 
 
Match 2
No. 17 Texas Tech 4, Pacific 2
01/15/16 at Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Texas Center)
 
Singles
1. No. 8 Felipe Soares (Texas Tech) defeats Sem Verbeek (Pacific): 7-6 (4), 6-2
2. No. 124 Miguel Diaz (Pacific) defeats No. 35 Alex Sendegeya (Texas Tech): 6-2, 6-4
3. Jolan Cailleau (Texas Tech) defeats Daniel Alameh (Pacific): 7-5, 6-0
4. Connor Curry (Texas Tech) defeats Jose Chamba (Pacific): 6-2, 6-1
5. Bjorn Thomson (Texas Tech) defeats Kumara Adavelly (Pacific): 6-1, 6-4
6. Augusto Stodart (Texas Tech) led Alex Giannini (Pacific): 3-6, 6-1, 3-2
 
Doubles
1. No. 2 Hugo Dojas/Felipe Soares (Texas Tech) trailed Sem Verbeek/Jose Chamba (Pacific): 6-5
2. Daniel Alameh/Alex Giannini (Pacific) defeats Alex Sendegeya/Bjorn Thomson: 7-5
3. Lance Ngo/Bernardo Oliveria (Pacific) defeats Connor Curry/Augusto Stodart (Texas Tech): 6-2
 
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,4,3,2,1)
No. 17 Texas Tech (2-0); Pacific (0-2)
 
 
(Press Release Provided by Texas Tech Athletics Department)