Texas is no stranger to close matches, but no comebacks were necessary Tuesday at Caswell Tennis Center in the Longhorn’s 7-0 rout of UT-Arlington.
The No. 6 Longhorns (17-4) exuded confidence from the moment they stepped onto the court, looking to keep their momentum going after wins against No. 3 Ohio State and No. 21 Columbia last week.
Texas returned to its winning ways in doubles play after dropping the doubles point in its past two matches. The Longhorns enforced their will from the start, winning the first two matches 6-1 and 6-3 to take a 1-0 lead.
“We really made a point of emphasis on our doubles matches,” assistant head coach Bruce Berque said. “That’s where we lose focus sometimes, so I think we improved today. We still have to get better though.”
But the burnt orange powerhouse didn’t stop there. The Longhorns took full control of the match with a clean sweep in the first set, looking hungrier than their opponent in every facet of the game.
“You can really play loose when you’re able to look to your left and right and see your teammates winning that first set,” senior George Goldhoff said. “There isn’t as much pressure and you can just go through your shots.”
Sophomore Harrison Scott extended the lead to 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-4 demolition of UT-Arlington’s Mario Muniesa. Freshman Christian Sigsgaard brought the crowd at Caswell to its feet after cruising past Jhonathan Gonzalez for a 6-4, 6-3 win.
The cheers intensified when freshman Yuya Ito delivered the game-winning point, defeating Guanarteme Nuez 6-2, 6-4. The victory gave Ito his fifth singles win in the past six matches, including a stunning defeat of the No. 4 player in the country out of Ohio State, Hugo Di Feo.
The two teams played out the remaining three games, and Texas didn’t let up. The Longhorns instead hit the gas to blaze past the Mavericks and win all three matches.
Sophomore Leonardo Telles punctuated the win in the final game of the night with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over UT-Arlington’s Mauricio Del Rio. The 7-0 onslaught extended Texas’ win streak to four.
It’s gut-check time for the Longhorns now as they enter conference play with three straight top-15 matches up next. The grueling stretch begins with a road match against No. 13 Oklahoma, followed by another test on the road against No. 7 Oklahoma State.
“Our guys want to compete for a Big-12 championship,” Berque said. “We know they’re capable, but we’ll have to push each other to improve over the next ten days so we can be up for the challenge against these good teams.”
