ARKADELPHIA – The 25th-ranked Ouachita men's tennis team was outmatched on Tuesday at home in a 5-2 loss to Harding inside the Ward Tennis Center.
To start things off was a top 10 matchup at first position doubles with third-ranked Cas De Ruiter and Teodor Zlatar of Harding taking on seventh-ranked
Alex Blanchar and
Phil Exner of Ouachita. The Bisons won that matchup 6-4, and recorded the same score at second position doubles to earn the 1-0 lead heading into singles.
No. 11
Alex Blanchar started singles with a two-set win in first position, and
Fernando Docters followed up with a two-set win in third position over No. 47 De Ruiter.
Harding earned a pair of two-set wins in fourth and fifth positions to take a 3-2 lead before taking second and sixth positions to a third-set to determine the final outcome, including a ranked-vs.-ranked matchup on court two and two tiebreakers needed on court six.
The Tigers honored seniors
Alex Blanchar and
Fernando Docters prior the match. The pair played their final home regular season match.
Ouachita (11-6, 2-1 MIAA/GAC) looks to bounce back in its final conference match of the regular season on Thursday on the road against Southeastern Oklahoma State. First serve is set for 2 p.m. in Durant.
HARDING 5, NO. 25 OUACHITA 2
DOUBLES
- No. 3 Zlatar/DeRuiter (HU) def. No. 7 Blanchar/Exner (OUA) 6-4
- Caleb Folse/Jaydon Van Vreden (HU) def. Ramon Strassmann/Aaron Osmond (OUA) 6-4
- Elias Lagger/Docters (OUA) vs. Cian Mikkelsen/Florian Gayme (HU) 4-5 did not finish
SINGLES
- No. 11 Blanchar (OUA) def. Dani Ortiz (HU) 6-3, 7-5
- No. 44 Zlatar (HU) def. No. 21 Exner (OUA) 7-6 (7-3), 1-6, 6-3
- Docters (OUA) def. No. 47 De Ruiter (HU) 6-4, 6-4
- Mikkelsen (HU) def. Strassmann (OUA) 6-4, 6-3
- Luis Agullo Diaz Munio (HU) def. Osmond (OUA) 6-4, 6-2
- Bryce Walker (HU) def. Lagger (OUA) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 1-0 (10-5)
