FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team will send seven players to compete in the ITA Fall Circuit Presented by Great Harvest Bread Co. that will run from Sept. 9-11 in Wichita, Kan. The Razorbacks hold the top three seeds in the tournament.

The ITA Fall Circuit provides a great opportunity for collegiate players to compete during the fall to increase their Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) and prepare for the upcoming spring season.

Junior Melvin Manuel earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will face freshman Aiden Robinson of Oklahoma in the Round of 32 on Friday, September 9 at 2 p.m. CT. Manuel is coming off a 16-5 dual record, playing primarily in the No. 5 position for the Hogs where he held a 12-4 record.

The newest Razorback, Benedikt Emesz, will face Oral Roberts’ Kevin Leuenberger in the first round. Emesz joins the Razorbacks from Salzburg, Austria, and boasts a career-high ATP ranking of 1535 and an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Juniors ranking of 158.

Returning Razorback, Adrien Burdet is the No.3 seed and will compete against Oral Roberts’ Ignacio Vinas for a chance to advance to the Round of 16. Burdet was an important part of the Razorbacks’ lineup last spring, playing on courts three and four for the majority of the season. He ended the year with a 14-12 record and was 9-9 at the No. 4 position.

Two Razorbacks will face off in the Round of 32, sophomore Jake Sweeney and transfer Alan Sau Franco will meet to determine a trip to the Round of 16. In his rookie year, Sweeney competed in eight matches with a 5-3 record during the dual season. No. 5 seeded Sau Franco joins the Razorbacks for his junior year from UT Arlington where he led the team with 20 overall wins and was named First-Team Singles Sun Belt All-Conference.

The Little Rock, Ark. native, Foster Rogers will kick off his fall season against Luca Nicolau Penteado of Brazil. Rogers only competed in three matches last spring, winning all three in the No.6 position for the Hogs.

For all information regarding the tournament, visit the tournament website to find links to draws, live stats and results.

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