Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sunday, February 9
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
12:00 P.M.
Middle Tennessee
4
vs
2
Arkansas
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
123
Bozo Barun / 0 [ARKM]
665
717
#2 Singles Match
12
Marino Jakic / 0 [ARKM]
45
67
#3 Singles Match
123
Lukas Palovic / 0 [ARKM]
166
613
#4 Singles Match
1234
Jakub Vrba / 0 [ARKM]
472UF
661UF
#5 Singles Match
12
Benni Emesz / 0 [ARKM]
66
43
#6 Singles Match
123
Arthur Bellegy / 0 [ARKM]
653
366
Order of Finish:
5,2,3,1,6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Blue Raiders Strike it Big in Double Header
2/9/2025 9:04:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Blue Raiders capped off an action-packed week with matches against Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky.
Vs. Arkansas
In doubles action, the Raiders secured the doubles point, winning 2-0 with a victory from Shu Matsuoka and Rostislav Halfinger. The duo defeated Arkansas' Lukas Palovic and Bozo Barun 6-2. It was the first time this season that Matsuoka and Halfinger played together, and they claimed their first win. Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak won their match, clinching the doubles point for the Raiders with a 6-2 victory. The pairing changes worked for head coach Jimmy Borendame, giving the Raiders their third doubles point of the year.
In singles play, Kacper Szymkowiak picked up the first point for the Raiders, winning 6-4, 7-5 against Marino Jakic. Szymkowiak kept his winning streak alive, improving to a flawless 8-0 on the season and solidifying himself as a strong option on Court 2.
The next Raider to secure a win was Al-Amin, who took the first set but needed all three to close it out, ultimately winning 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 and giving the Raiders the lead. The Razorbacks picked up a point to make it 3-2 with two courts left to play. Halfinger clinched the match for the Raiders, rallying after dropping the first set to defeat Arkansas' Arthur Bellegy 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Vs. Eastern Kentucky
The Raiders continued their doubles success against Eastern Kentucky. Igor Mandou Berranger and Kristian Thomas dominated Court 3, defeating Christian Cantos and Ryan Kitchin 6-0. Matsuoka and Halfinger picked up their second doubles win of the day, beating their opponents 6-0.
Szymkowiak once again delivered the first singles point for the Blue Raiders, making quick work of his opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. He improved to a perfect 9-0 record. Jakub Kroslak returned to the win column, defeating EKU's Adrian Contreras 6-1, 6-4. Matsuoka clinched the match for the Raiders with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kartik Parhar, sealing a 4-0 win.
From Assistant Coach Josh McDermott
"We are very proud of the guys and the way they competed throughout today's matches. The team did a great job making adjustments in practice and was able to execute what we had worked on, especially in doubles. We will continue to work hard toward our goals and ride this momentum into our next match against Oklahoma State this upcoming Friday."
Up Next
The Raiders will host Oklahoma State on Friday, Feb. 14. The first serve is set for 5 p.m. at the Adams Tennis Complex.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
Vs. Arkansas
In doubles action, the Raiders secured the doubles point, winning 2-0 with a victory from Shu Matsuoka and Rostislav Halfinger. The duo defeated Arkansas' Lukas Palovic and Bozo Barun 6-2. It was the first time this season that Matsuoka and Halfinger played together, and they claimed their first win. Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak won their match, clinching the doubles point for the Raiders with a 6-2 victory. The pairing changes worked for head coach Jimmy Borendame, giving the Raiders their third doubles point of the year.
In singles play, Kacper Szymkowiak picked up the first point for the Raiders, winning 6-4, 7-5 against Marino Jakic. Szymkowiak kept his winning streak alive, improving to a flawless 8-0 on the season and solidifying himself as a strong option on Court 2.
The next Raider to secure a win was Al-Amin, who took the first set but needed all three to close it out, ultimately winning 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 and giving the Raiders the lead. The Razorbacks picked up a point to make it 3-2 with two courts left to play. Halfinger clinched the match for the Raiders, rallying after dropping the first set to defeat Arkansas' Arthur Bellegy 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Vs. Eastern Kentucky
The Raiders continued their doubles success against Eastern Kentucky. Igor Mandou Berranger and Kristian Thomas dominated Court 3, defeating Christian Cantos and Ryan Kitchin 6-0. Matsuoka and Halfinger picked up their second doubles win of the day, beating their opponents 6-0.
Szymkowiak once again delivered the first singles point for the Blue Raiders, making quick work of his opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0. He improved to a perfect 9-0 record. Jakub Kroslak returned to the win column, defeating EKU's Adrian Contreras 6-1, 6-4. Matsuoka clinched the match for the Raiders with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kartik Parhar, sealing a 4-0 win.
From Assistant Coach Josh McDermott
"We are very proud of the guys and the way they competed throughout today's matches. The team did a great job making adjustments in practice and was able to execute what we had worked on, especially in doubles. We will continue to work hard toward our goals and ride this momentum into our next match against Oklahoma State this upcoming Friday."
Up Next
The Raiders will host Oklahoma State on Friday, Feb. 14. The first serve is set for 5 p.m. at the Adams Tennis Complex.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
MTSU Tennis Pro-Am 9/6/25
Tuesday, September 09
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Men's Tennis NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on 04/28/25
Tuesday, April 29
MTSU Men's Tennis CUSA Championship vs Liberty Recap on 04/20/25
Wednesday, April 23
