Rock Clinches 4-3 Road Victory at Arkansas

Sunday, February 4

Fayetteville, Ark.

1:00 PM

University of Memphis

Arkansas

Harry Rock during the Memphis vs. UAB Tennis match on 01122024.

Photo by: Matthew A. Smith

Feb 04, 2024 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It just means for Memphis men's tennis as the No. 25 Tigers went into SEC country and took down the Arkansas Razorbacks, 4-3, in a gutsy comeback performance Sunday afternoon at Billingsley Tennis Center.

With the win, the Tigers are now 6-1 on the year with three wins over Power Five programs.

"It was an incredible match from the Tigers, I thought we did an unbelievable job of handling tough conditions," Memphis head coach Chris Doerr said. "Arkansas always does a great job with its program. The crowd was loud, and the courts were quick. I told the boys to be ready for a feisty fight to be fired up.

"I felt like we were fighting hard on every court even when they didn't go our way. After Arkansas went up, we continued to show a lot of toughness and pride in what this school and city means to us."

The Tigers got the match rolling by winning the doubles point, something they've done in all six of their victories.

Freshman Moritz Kudernatsch saw his first collegiate action in doubles, teaming up with Harry Rock at the No. 2 position. The duo struck first with a 6-4 win. After Arkansas tied it up from court three, all eyes were on the main court where Charlie Barry and Pablo Alemany battled their way to a 7-6(3) victory, sending Memphis to singles play with a 1-0 lead.

"I'm proud of Moritz coming through, it was his first doubles match," Doerr said. "There was a little bit of pressure, but he served like a champ and Harry really helped him step up."

In singles action, the Razorbacks (4-2) put the pressure on the Tigers by winning three of the first four matches. Juan Zabala brought the matchup back even from the fifth line after Arkansas took wins on courts four and three.

Zabala swept Benedikt Emesz 6-4, 6-3 for his fourth singles victory of the season.

Arkansas then went up 3-2 after 117^th-ranked Gerard Planelles earned a hard-fought 7-6(2), 7-6(2) decision against Alemany.

Kudernatsch battled to a 7-5, 7-6(5) straight-set win on court six to keep the Tigers alive. From court two, Rock did just that. After he took the first set, 6-3, Karlo Kajin sent it to a third set with a 7-6(5) win in the second. The foes went back-and-forth, ultimately getting to a tiebreak in the third frame that saw Rock fall behind 3-0 and 4-1.

The junior from Great Britain, however, responded with six of the final seven points to win the set 7-6(5) and send the Tigers back home with a 4-3 victory.

"In singles, Juan keeps doing what he's doing and taking care of business," Doerr said. "For Moritz to finish out at the end was incredible and then for Harry to really step up. Down 4-1 in the tiebreak, he found something against a really good player. I'm really proud of the boys and I can't wait for Wednesday."

UP NEXT
Memphis is back home at Leftwich Wednesday at 1 p.m. to take on No. 22 Mississippi State.

#25 Memphis 4, Arkansas 3
Singles
1. #117 Gerard Planelles (ARK) def. Pablo Alemany (MEM) 7-6(2), 7-6(2)
2. Harry Rock (MEM) def. Bozo Barun (ARK) 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)
3. Melvin Manuel (ARK) def. #80 Pau Fanlo (MEM) 6-3, 6-2
4. Stefanos Savva (ARK) def. Maxime Dubouch (MEM) 6-4, 6-3
5. Juan Zabala (MEM) def. Benedikt Emesz (ARK) 6-4, 6-3
6. Karlo Kajin (MEM) def. Mortiz Kudernatsch (MEM) 7-5, 7-6(5)

Doubles
1. Charlie Barry / Pablo Alemany (MEM) def. Jared Horwood / Melvin Manuel (ARK) 7-6(3)
2. Harry Rock/ Moritz Kudernatsch (MEM) def. Gerard Planelles / Alan Sau Franco (ARK) 6-4
3. Connor Smillie / Jake Sweeney (ARK) def. Sam Reeve / Pau Fanlo (MEM) 6-4

Order of Completion:
Doubles (2,3,1)
Singles (4,3,5,1,6,2)

How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Tennis, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.