TUCSON, Ariz. – The NM State men's tennis team dropped its dual season opener on the road to No. 69 Arizona Friday afternoon at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, 7-0.
 
In the opening doubles match, the NM State freshmen pair of Enrique Asmar and Donovan Cellupica-Towers was the first to fall at the No. 3 position. The Aggies' duo of Stijn de Haan and Mauri Benitez tied things up at 5-5 on court No. 2 before Arizona's tandem of Oliver Plaskett and Will Adkisson pulled away, 7-5, to clinch the doubles point.
 
NM State's No. 1 doubles team of Strahinja Trecakov and Liam Goldberg brought it within 6-6 but would eventually fall to the Wildcats' Naoki Takeda and Shoki Kasahara, 7-6.
 
UA clinched the match in singles play on back-to-back finishes at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions.
 
Benitez won NM State's only set in singles action at the No. 6 slot against Kasahara when he forced a tiebreaker with a 6-3 win in the second set.
 
The Aggies will now regroup and get ready for tomorrow's match when they take on Gonzaga in a neutral site match at noon (MT).
 
Match #1
#69 Arizona 7, NM State 0
January 29, 2016
LaNelle Robson Tennis Center
Tucson, Ariz.
 
Doubles

1. Takeda/Kasahara (UA) def. Trecakov/Goldberg (NMSU) – 7-6
2. Plaskett/Adkisson (UA) def. de Haan/Benitez (NMSU) – 7-5
3. Botha/Busby (UA) def. Asmar/Cellupica-Towers (NMSU) – 6-3

Order of Finish: 3, 2*, 1
 
Singles

1. Naoki Takeda (UA) def. Strahinja Trecakov (NMSU) – 6-1, 6-0
2. Harry Busby (UA) def. Liam Goldberg (NMSU) – 6-4, 6-3
3. Jason Jaruvang (UA) def. Cristofer Goncalves (NMSU) – 6-3, 6-3
4. Trent Botha (UA) def. Stijn de Haan (NMSU) – 6-2, 6-2
5. Will Kneale (UA) vs Enrique Asmar (NMSU) – 6-2, 6-3
6. Shoki Kasahara (UA) vs Mauri Benitez (NMSU) – 6-1, 3-6, 10-8

Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3*, 2, 5, 6