ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 21 Texas A&M men's tennis team opens the 2022 SEC Tournament against Arkansas at 10 a.m. (CT) Thursday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Aggies enter the match at 21-12 while the Razorbacks are 14-13 this spring.
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The Maroon & White return to action after suffering a hard-fought 5-2 defeat at No. 3 Florida on Sunday to wrap up the regular season. Freshman Luke Casper continued his stellar freshman campaign with a three-set win to improve to 10-2 in SEC matches and 17-3 this spring. Sophomore Stefan Storch posted his first SEC win of season as he topped Lukas Greif. Additionally, A&M's Noah Schachter and Kenner Taylor picked up their signature win of the season, as they topped then-No. 7 Ben Shelton and Sam Riffice.
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TEXAS A&M RANKINGS UPDATE
A&M's Schachter skyrocketed to a career-high No. 37 in the latest ITA singles rankings as he leads the team with seven ranked wins, the most ranked wins in a single season in Schachter's collegiate career.
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Schachter and sophomore Kenner Taylor moved up six more spots to land at No. 14 in the doubles poll, the career-best doubles ranking for both Aggies. The pair are an impressive 14-5 on the top doubles court and pace the team with five ranked wins, including a then career-best victory over then-No. 17 Lukas Engelhardt and Finn Reynolds of Ole Miss.
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Austin Abbrat and Schachter continue to appear in the doubles rankings, the pair landed at No. 46 this week. The Maroon & White duo have recorded a pair of ranked wins this season, highlighted by an 8-7 result against Finn Bass and Sven Lah of Baylor, currently ranked No. 19.
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LAST TIME THEY MET
The two teams opened the 2022 SEC season on March 4 at the Mitchell Tennis Center as the Aggies captured a 4-3 victory. Sophomore Raphael Perot raced through a 6-4, 6-0 win over Nico Rousset to even the team score. Junior Guido Marson pushed the Aggies ahead with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Melvin Manuel before sophomore Matthis Ross posted A&M's third point with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Adrien Burdet on court three. Freshman Giulio Perego secure the clinch for the Maroon & White as he defeated Jacob Sweeney 6-2, 7-6(5) on court five.
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SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks dropped their final two SEC matches on the road, falling 4-3 to Ole Miss and LSU last weekend. No. 26 Alex Reco owns a 10-11 mark on court one and a 5-7 mark in league matches. No. 107 Aleksa Bucan joined Reco in the latest singles rankings as the sophomore has gone 19-10 this year. Manuel paced the team with 16 dual victories including a 12-2 mark on court five. In doubles action, Reco and Rousset have gone 10-12 on the top court while Burdet and Manuel have registered a 14-8 dual mark.
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QUOTES
Steve Denton, Texas A&M Head Coach
On Thursday's match…
"Arkansas was our first conference match this season and it was a very tight 4-3 affair. I expect tomorrow's match to be more of the same. Arkansas is a very experienced team and I expect them to play at a high level as we transition to post-season play. A new season begins tomorrow and hopefully we have learned a lot this season and we can translate that knowledge into confidence and play well as a team. The team that wants it more and wins the big points will prevail."
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FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's match will be streamed here and live scoring will be available here. The 2022 SEC Tournament Central page can be found here.
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UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's match will take on No. 10 Kentucky on Friday in the 2022 SEC Tournament quarterfinals at 10 a.m. (CT).
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FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans can also keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook or on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN.
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The Maroon & White return to action after suffering a hard-fought 5-2 defeat at No. 3 Florida on Sunday to wrap up the regular season. Freshman Luke Casper continued his stellar freshman campaign with a three-set win to improve to 10-2 in SEC matches and 17-3 this spring. Sophomore Stefan Storch posted his first SEC win of season as he topped Lukas Greif. Additionally, A&M's Noah Schachter and Kenner Taylor picked up their signature win of the season, as they topped then-No. 7 Ben Shelton and Sam Riffice.
Â
TEXAS A&M RANKINGS UPDATE
A&M's Schachter skyrocketed to a career-high No. 37 in the latest ITA singles rankings as he leads the team with seven ranked wins, the most ranked wins in a single season in Schachter's collegiate career.
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Schachter and sophomore Kenner Taylor moved up six more spots to land at No. 14 in the doubles poll, the career-best doubles ranking for both Aggies. The pair are an impressive 14-5 on the top doubles court and pace the team with five ranked wins, including a then career-best victory over then-No. 17 Lukas Engelhardt and Finn Reynolds of Ole Miss.
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Austin Abbrat and Schachter continue to appear in the doubles rankings, the pair landed at No. 46 this week. The Maroon & White duo have recorded a pair of ranked wins this season, highlighted by an 8-7 result against Finn Bass and Sven Lah of Baylor, currently ranked No. 19.
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LAST TIME THEY MET
The two teams opened the 2022 SEC season on March 4 at the Mitchell Tennis Center as the Aggies captured a 4-3 victory. Sophomore Raphael Perot raced through a 6-4, 6-0 win over Nico Rousset to even the team score. Junior Guido Marson pushed the Aggies ahead with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Melvin Manuel before sophomore Matthis Ross posted A&M's third point with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Adrien Burdet on court three. Freshman Giulio Perego secure the clinch for the Maroon & White as he defeated Jacob Sweeney 6-2, 7-6(5) on court five.
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SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks dropped their final two SEC matches on the road, falling 4-3 to Ole Miss and LSU last weekend. No. 26 Alex Reco owns a 10-11 mark on court one and a 5-7 mark in league matches. No. 107 Aleksa Bucan joined Reco in the latest singles rankings as the sophomore has gone 19-10 this year. Manuel paced the team with 16 dual victories including a 12-2 mark on court five. In doubles action, Reco and Rousset have gone 10-12 on the top court while Burdet and Manuel have registered a 14-8 dual mark.
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QUOTES
Steve Denton, Texas A&M Head Coach
On Thursday's match…
"Arkansas was our first conference match this season and it was a very tight 4-3 affair. I expect tomorrow's match to be more of the same. Arkansas is a very experienced team and I expect them to play at a high level as we transition to post-season play. A new season begins tomorrow and hopefully we have learned a lot this season and we can translate that knowledge into confidence and play well as a team. The team that wants it more and wins the big points will prevail."
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FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's match will be streamed here and live scoring will be available here. The 2022 SEC Tournament Central page can be found here.
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UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's match will take on No. 10 Kentucky on Friday in the 2022 SEC Tournament quarterfinals at 10 a.m. (CT).
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FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans can also keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook or on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN.