Feb. 2, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Looking to rebound from a loss to Wake Forest on Sunday, the Wildcats came out on a mission and dominated the 30th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks Friday night at the Combe Tennis Center, 7-0. The Wildcats captured the doubles point and won all six singles matches. Although the 'Cats had the dual won, senior Willy Lock (Lima, Peru/Markham College) dazzled the crowd with a 13-11 win in a third-set "superbreaker" at No. 1 singles over Arkansas' 57th-ranked Blake Strode.
The win improves Northwestern to 4-3 in dual meets and drops the Razorbacks to 1-2.
The Wildcats already had clinched the dual and led 6-0 when Lock went to a third set with Blake Strode, but the senior played as if his match was the clincher. Lock took the first set, 6-4, but Strode won a second-set tiebreaker to force a 10-point "superbreaker" to determine the winner.
The senior fought off four match points with a healthy assortment of desperation shots and off-balance winners. He saved his fourth to even the score at 10-10. Lock had his own match point at 11-10, but could not convert. The Wildcat finally broke through with the score 12-11 to take the third set and give the 'Cats the shutout.
Northwestern won the doubles point by winning the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches. Lock and Matt Christian (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice) faced off against Blake Strode and Colin Mascall at No. 1 doubles in a very tight match. Both duos reached deuce in the first games but were unable to break until Strode and Mascall converted to go up 6-4, a lead that they kept to win the match, 8-4.
At No. 2 doubles, Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./University of Nebraska-Independent Study H.S.) and Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) faced off against Arkansas' Gabriel Mattos and Andrei Nicoara. The match was back and forth with the two teams exchanging breaks until the Northwestern duo broke to go up 6-4, winning the match 8-5 on a Sanborn volley.
The 'Cats tandem of Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium LohbrÜgge) and Juan Gomez (Mexico City, Mexico) defeated the Razorbacks' Drew Sosebee and Dmitry Vlaskin, 8-4.
At No. 2 singles, Tempke defeated Colin Mascall, 6-4 7-5. The first set was very tight with Mascall reaching deuce on Tempke's service at 4-4, but Tempke held on to go up 5-4 with a cross-court half volley winner. Tempke took control in the second set, taking an early break and having several other break opportunities. Momentum shifted for a few games as Tempke was broken serving for the match at 5-4, but he regained control and won the match with a cross-court forehand winner.
The No. 3 singles match between Christian and Razorback Gabriel Mattos was a see-saw battle. In the first set, the players exchanged breaks of serve until Mattos held on to his second break and took the set 6-4. Christian took control for the rest of the match, going up an early break in the second set and never letting go as he won the set 6-3. Christian's domination continued into the third set where he only allowed one point on his serve, forcing an unforced error from Mattos to break and win the match, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Gomez fell down an early break at No. 4 singles to Dmitry Lebvedev, but fought back to even the first set at 4-4. Gomez broke to pull ahead 5-4 and held serve to take the first set, 6-4. Gomez needed three match points, but closed the door on the Razorback, winning the second set, 6-4.
Dwyer took a straight-set win over Arkansas' Dmitry Vlaskin at No. 5, 6-3, 6-4.
Sanborn went up a break at 2-0 over Drew Sosebee at No. 6 and never looked back. The freshman cruised to a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
The 'Cats ended a seven-match homestand to start the 2007 dual campaign and they will hit the road for the first time when they travel to Harvard. The 'Cats face the Crimson February 9 at 5 p.m.