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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The No. 28 University of Iowa men’s tennis team defeated Nebraska, 5-2, on Sunday in the Big Ten opener at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. The Hawkeyes have now rattled off victories in 10 of their last 11 matches and won eight of their first nine home matches.
Iowa captured the doubles point, winning matches on courts one and two. Tenth-ranked Will Davies/Oliver Okonkwo’s match went quick with the tandem defeating Cacciatore/Saleh with ease (6-2). Kareem Allaf/Nikita Snezhko clinched the point with a victory over Gleason/Moreno (6-3) on court two. Joe Tyler/Matt Clegg’s match was suspended after clinching the point. The Hawkeyes improved to 8-0 this season when winning the doubles point.
In singles, Tyler got things going for the Hawkeyes, cruising past Andre Saleh in straight sets (6-1, 6-3). Davies bounced Albert Sprlak-Puk (6-3, 6-4) at No. 4 to record his career-best 10th straight win and team-leading 11th victory of the spring. Okonkwo clinched the dual for Iowa in decisive fashion over Nebraska’s No. 2 William Gleason, 6-4, 7-6(3). Allaf, ranked 61st nationally, extended his win streak to eight at No. 1, defeating Victor Moreno Lazano in three sets (5-7, 6-4, 6-1).
Quoting Mellecker Family Head Coach Ross Wilson
“Today was a really good win for us. We came out today with great energy and competitiveness, coming back from yesterday’s VCU match less than 24 hours ago. We had great team effort getting the doubles point, which was huge. We won four of the six first sets, so we held the momentum well. It got a little tight at the end, but we able to finish them off.”
Up Next
The Hawkeyes will host Louisville on Friday (5 p.m.) and Cornell on Sunday (11 a.m.) at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. Admission is free to the public.
#28 Iowa 5, Nebraska 2
March 1, 2020 | Noon (CT) | Iowa City, Iowa | Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex
Singles
1. #61 Kareem Allaf (UI) def. Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB): 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
2. Oliver Okonkwo (UI) def. William Gleason (NEB): 6-4, 7-6(3)
3. Joe Tyler (UI) def. Andre Saleh (NEB): 6-1, 6-3
4. Will Davies (UI) def. Albert Sprlak-Puk (NEB): 6-3, 6-4
5. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) def. Nikita Snezhko (UI): 6-1, 7-6(7)
6. Patrick Cacciatore (NEB) def. Jason Kerst (UI): 4-6, 6-3, 10-7
Doubles
1. #10 Davies/Okonkwo (UI) def. Cacciatore/Saleh (NEB): 6-2
2. Allaf/Snezhko (UI) def. Lozano/Gleason (NEB): 6-3
3. Clegg/Tyler (UI) vs. Sprlak-Puk/Maruyama (NEB): 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Iowa: 10-2, 1-0
Nebraska: 2-9, 0-1
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,4,5,2,1,6)
