Eight Razorbacks Set to Open Fall Season in Midland, Wichita

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team will split up this weekend as eight players will compete in two tournaments to open the fall season. Four Razorbacks travel to Midland, Texas, for the Racquet Club 14K Prize Money Event while the other half head to Kansas for the Wichita State 5K Fall UTR.

Melvin Manuel, Benedikt Emesz, Jared Horwood, and Alan Sau Franco will represent Arkansas in the singles draw of the Racquet Club 14K Prize Money Event. Manuel, Emesz, and Horwood will begin play in the Round of 32 at 8:30 a.m. CT. Sau Franco’s match time is set for 10:30 a.m. CT.

Senior Melvin Manuel will face freshman Ritesh Patil of Texas A&M in the the first round. Manuel is coming off a 9-11 dual record, playing primarily in the No. 2 position for the Hogs where he recorded six wins.

Sophomore Benedikt Emesz matches up against another Aggie in Matthis Ross in the Round of 32. Emesz went 7-7 last spring, finishing 3-0 in the sixth spot while closing the season on a four-game winning streak for Arkansas.

Arizona transfer Jared Horwood will face Texas Tech’s Tyler Stewart in the first round. Horwood joins the Razorbacks after five seasons with the Wildcats and accumulated a record of 13-9 in singles play over the past two seasons.

Senior Alan Sau Franco will compete against Raphael Perot of Texas A&M for a chance to advance to the Round of 16. Sau Franco was an important part of the Hogs’ lineup last season, playing on courts three, four, and five. He ended the year with seven wins in singles play, with six coming at the No. 4 and 5 positions.

In the doubles draw, Manuel and Emesz will match up against Boise State’s James Van Herzeele and Caden Moortgat in the Round of 16. Manuel amassed an 11-10 doubles record this past year, claiming nine wins in the top spot while Emesz went 0-2 in doubles last season. The duo of Horwood and Sau Franco will face Grant Lothringer and Ritesh Patil of Texas A&M with a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals. Horwood totaled a 24-12 doubles record in his final two seasons at Arizona as Sau Franco compiled an 11-9 record, primarily playing in the No. 2 position. Both match times are TBD.

Stefanos Savva, Jake Sweeney, Jakob Mosvold, and newcomer Connor Smillie are set to kick off their fall seasons for the Razorbacks at the Wichita State 5K Fall UTR. Sweeney, Mosvold, and Smillie will begin play in the Round of 32 at 2 p.m. CT. Savva’s first match is set for 4:15 p.m. CT.

Senior Stefanos Savva earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament and received a bye in the Round of 32. The Cyprus native comes off a five-win season in the top spot for Arkansas. Savva will face Richard King of Wichita State with a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals of the singles draw.

Senior Jakob Mosvold matches up against TCU’s Luke Swan in the first round. Mosvold only appeared in one dual match for the Hogs last spring, but finished with a 5-5 overall record in doubles, including 4-0 at the second spot.

Junior Jake Sweeney will compete against Pablo Rodriguez Gonzalez of Southwestern College (KS) for a chance to advance to the Round of 16. Sweeney recorded three wins last fall and two doubles victories in the spring for the Razorbacks.

Connor Smillie joins the Arkansas roster as the only Freshman this upcoming season. Smillie will face Oklahoma Wesleyan’s Eloi Riva in the Round of 32. The Austin, Texas, native was rated a five-star recruit by TennisRecruiting.net in the class of 2023 and has a career-high ITF Junior Ranking of 1730.

Sweeney and Mosvold earned the No. 2 seed in the doubles draw and will match up against Julian Toloza and Jhoel Quiñonez of Ottawa University (KS) with a chance to advance to the Quarterfinals. The duo went 1-1 as doubles partners last season and combined for seven doubles wins this past spring.

For all information regarding the tournaments, visit the Racquet Club 14K Prize Money Event and Wichita State 5K Fall UTR tournament homepages to find draws, schedule of play, and results.