TYLER, Texas (February 24, 2025) – Playing against NCAA Division II competition for the first time this Spring, The No. 23 nationally-ranked University of Texas Permian Basin men's tennis team started off its trip to Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, with a near comeback effort in a 4-3 defeat vs. Harding University on Saturday, February 22. The Falcons bounced back with a 4-0 win over Delta State University on Sunday, February 23, but again fell by a 4-3 score in a tough match against No. 17 nationally-ranked Mississippi College on Monday, February 24.

After losing the doubles point against Harding and facing a 3-1 deficit, UTPB tried to comeback as Jonathan Vega completed a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win over the No. 4 nationally-ranked singles player in the country, Cas de Ruiter, at No. 1 singles. Lucas Nitzschke won 6-3, 6-3 over Caleb Folse at No. 5 singles to tie the match. However, in the deciding match, Florian Kralik came up just short in both sets, 7-5, 6-4, against Edoardo D'Arrigo at No. 6 singles.

UTPB rebounded well against Delta State, winning the doubles point and winning each of the three singles matches to finish. Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez defeated Andrej Komnenic 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles; Jonas Krahofer defeated Harry Browning in three sets, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1, at No. 4 singles; and the final match was another three-set victory, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, for Lucas Nakasato over Sebastian Hernandez in the No. 2 spot.

In a tough 4-3 result against No. 17 Mississippi College, UTPB won the doubles point with a 6-0 victory by Vega and Krahofer at No. 1 doubles and a 6-1 win by Gonzalez Ibanez and Nitzschke in the No. 3 spot. In singles, however, MC won the first three matches to take over the lead and pull to within one point of the win. UTPB would battle back to tie the match as Krahofer defeated Gustavo Tedesco 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5 singles while Grzegorz Rudnicki defeated Alvaro Saint Martin in three sets, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4, at No. 3 singles. However, in the final match at No. 6 singles, Nitzschke fell 6-3, 7-5 against Sergio Ramirez Ocana, leaving the Falcons with a sour taste in their mouths at the end of the weekend.

Combined for the weekend, Vega and Krahofer were 3-0 in doubles (No. 1, 2) while Rudnicki and Kralik were 2-1 overall (No. 1, 2) and were 2-0 at No. 2 doubles. UTPB was a combined 5-2 in doubles. In singles, Gonzalez Ibanez (No. 3-4) was 3-0 while Krahofer (No. 3, 4, 5), Nitzchke (No. 5, 6) and Vega (No. 1) were each 2-1.
 
Results:
Match #1 – No. 23 UTPB 3, Harding 4:
Doubles

• #1 – No. 10 Cas de Ruiter/Adrian Solorzano (HU) def. Grzegorz Rudnicki/Florian Kralik (UTPB) 6-4
• #2 – Jonathan Vega/Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Florian Gayme/Cian Mikkelsen (HU) 6-3
• #3 – Edorado D'Arrigo/Caleb Folse (HU) def. Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez/Lucas Nakasato (UTPB) 6-2

Singles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega (UTPB) def. No. 4 Cas de Ruiter (HU) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
• #2 – No. 27 Adrian Solorzano (HU) def. Grzegorz Rudnicki (UTPB) 4-6, 7-5, 7-5
• #3 – Cian Mikkelsen (HU) def. Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) 6-3, 7-5
• #4 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez (UTPB) def. Luis Agullo (HU) 6-3, 6-1
• #5 – Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Caleb Folse (HU) 6-3, 6-3
• #6 – Edoardo D'Arrigo (HU) def. Florian Kralik (UTPB) 7-5, 6-4

 
Match #2 – No. 23 UTPB 4, Delta State 0:
Doubles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega/Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Hector Ortiz/Sebastian Hernandez (DSU) 6-1
• #2 – Grzegorz Rudnicki/Florian Kralik (UTPB) vs. Andrej Komnenic /Harry Browning (DSU) 3-5, unfinished
• #3 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez/Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Tom Rance/Jacob Lubbe (DSU) 6-3

Singles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega (UTPB) vs. Hector Ortiz (DSU) 6-1, 4-6, 3-2, unfinished
• #2 – Lucas Nakasato (UTPB) def. Sebastian Hernandez (DSU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
• #3 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez (UTPB) def. Andrej Komnenic (DSU) 6-0, 6-1
• #4 – Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Harry Browning (DSU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-1
• #5 – Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) vs. Jacob Lubbe (DSU) 4-4, unfinished
• #6 – Florian Kralik (UTPB) vs. Tom Rance (DSU) DNF

 
Match #3 – No. 23 UTPB 3, No. 17 Mississippi College 4:
Doubles

• #1 – Jonathan Vega/Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Alex Benichou Blanchard/Alvaro Saint Martin (MC) 6-0
• #2 – Grzegorz Rudnicki/Florian Kralik (UTPB) vs. Gustavo Tedesco/Rafael Sabio (MC) 5-3, unfinished
• #3 – Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez/Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) def. Florian Walcher/Sergio Ramirez Ocana (MC) 6-1

Singles

• #1 – No. 7 Alex Benichou Blanchard (MC) def. Jonathan Vega (UTPB) 6-3, 6-2
• #2 – Florian Walcher (MC) def. Lucas Nakasato (UTPB) 6-3, 6-1
• #3 – Grzegorz Rudnicki (UTPB) def. Alvaro Saint Martin (MC) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-4
• #4 – Rafael Sabio (MC) def. Sergio Alejandro Gonzalez Ibanez (UTPB) 7-5, 7-5
• #5 – Jonas Krahofer (UTPB) def. Gustavo Tedesco (MC) 7-5, 6-2
• #6 – Sergio Ramirez Ocana (MC) def. Lucas Nitzschke (UTPB) 6-3, 7-5

 
Team Records:

• UTPB is now 3-2 on the season.
• Harding moves to 4-3 after going 1-2 on the weekend.
• Delta State moves to 1-3 after going 0-3 on the weekend.
• Mississippi College moves to 5-2 after going 1-2 on the weekend and winning its final match against the Falcons.
• The other Lone Star Conference teams representing the league this weekend in Tyler were No. 16-ranked The University of Texas at Tyler and Lubbock Christian University. UT Tyler starts is season 3-0 after winning all three matches during its opening weekend while LCU improves to 7-1 after also going 3-0 this weekend.

 
Next Up: UTPB will have two more neutral-court matchups to open up the month of March, taking on Metropolitan State University of Denver on Sunday, March 2, in Lubbock, Texas, followed by No. 24 Southern Arkansas University on Sunday, March 9, in Midlothian, Texas.