#8 Vols Capture 20th Win With 4-0 Sweep of Arkansas

Sunday, April 16

Fayetteville, AR

2 PM

University of Tennessee

Arkansas

April 16, 2023 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The eighth-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team extended its winning streak to eight matches with a 4-0 road win over Arkansas Sunday to close the regular season.

The clinching fourth point came from the nation's second-ranked Johannus Monday. His 6-3, 6-4, victory over Stefanos Savva put the finishing touches on a stellar regular season from the junior. Monday closes the regular season at 14-2 (9-1 SEC) at the No. 1 singles position this year.

"I was trying to think about when we last played in winds over 20 miles per hour, which it was today," Tennessee head coach Chris Woodruff said. "It was a good equalizer. It's an outdoor sport and both coaches agreed to play outside. I think it was the right thing to do. This was a very good test for our guys. They had a great crowd and Arkansas was actually a very formidable opponent today. It feels good to get this one under our belt and get a few days off before we head into postseason play."

Tennessee (20-6, 10-2 SEC) earned the doubles point for a 23rd time this season, with wins on courts one and two. The third-ranked duo of Pat Harper and Johannus Monday defeated 67th-ranked Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel of Arkansas, 6-1, atop the doubles lineup. Harper and Monday improved to 14-3 as a pairing this season with the win.

The Vols' 42nd-ranked pairing of Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui provided the doubles clinch on court two, routing Arkansas' (12-14, 0-12 SEC) Stefanos Savva and Alan Sau Franco in 6-1 fashion. With the triumph, Hudd and Mitsui improved to 17-2 as a pairing this season.

With the match played in clinch-clinch style, Tennessee's trio of singles victories came at the top three lineup spots.

Tennessee increased its lead to 2-0 with No. 27 Hudd's straight-set, 6-2, 6-1, win over Manuel at the No. 2 position. The two-time reigning SEC Player of the Week ends the regular season at 11-2 (8-2 SEC) when playing at the No. 2 singles spot this season.

Soon after Hudd's win, Tennessee's Blaise Bicknell was assertive in a 6-4, 6-1, win over Sau Franco. Bicknell has won five of his past seven completed singles matches. Monday served out his match on court one to clinch Tennessee's win. Singles matches on courts four, five and six each went unfinished.

20 WINS AGAIN
Tennessee's win over Arkansas Sunday gives UT a third consecutive 20-win regular season. In 2021, the Vols logged 21 wins in the regular season. This season and in 2022, the team's 20th win of the year came in the regular-season finale.

VOLS THE NO. 2 SEED FOR SEC TOURNAMENT
Tennessee is locked in as the No. 2 seed at the SEC Tournament, set to run April 19-23 in Auburn, Ala. The Vols will begin play in the quarterfinals Friday, facing the winner of seventh-seeded Ole Miss or No. 10 seed LSU.

UP NEXT
Tennessee travels to the Plains for the SEC Tournament, with its first action coming Friday.

RESULTS: Tennessee 4, Arkansas 0
Doubles

1. #3 Pat Harper/Johannus Monday (UT) def. #67 Adrien Burdet/Melvin Manuel (ARKM) 6-1
2. #42 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Stefanos Savva/Alan Sau Franco (ARKM) 6-1
3. Jacob Sweeney/Gerard Planelles (ARKM) vs. Angel Diaz/Martim Prata (UT) 4-1, unfinished

Order of Finish: (1,2)

Singles

1. #2 Johannus Monday (UT) def. Stefanos Savva (ARKM) 6-3, 6-4
2. #27 Emile Hudd (UT) def. Melvin Manuel (ARKM) 6-2, 6-1
3. Blaise Bicknell (UT) def. Alan Sau Franco (ARKM) 6-4, 6-1
4. Gerard Planelles (ARKM) vs. #118 Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
5. Adrien Burdet (ARKM) vs. Angel Diaz (UT) 2-6, 6-1, 3-3, unfinished
6. Benedikt Emesz (ARKM) vs. Boris Kozlov (UT) 6-3, 4-2, unfinished

Order of Finish: (2,3,1)