TUCSON, Ariz. – It was a great day for the Arizona men's tennis program, as No. 37 Naoki Takeda earned a dominating 6-3-, 7-5 straight set victory over Drake's No. 40 Ben Lott in the opening round of the ITA Men's All-American Championships on Thursday.

Takeda is representing Arizona in the ITA Men's All-American Championships for the first time since 2005, as he was the lone Wildcat selected to the main draw of the tournament.

“Once Naoki got settled into the match, he did a great job competing in the important moments,” said assistant coach Aaron Spencer. “It is always nice to come away with a win in your first match of the season, and as expected, there are definitely some things we will try to clean up as we prepare for tomorrow.”

Takeda dominated from start to finish. After an even 2-2 start in the first set, Takeda quickly took over and won four of the next five points to claim the opening set by a score of 6-3. The second set was a close fight, but Takeda was able to hold of Lott and take the set, 7-5. Takeda won the match in straight sets by a final score of 6-3, 7-5.

Takeda will now take on No. 35 Shane Vinsant from Texas A&M tomorrow in the second round of the main draw.

RESULTS

No. 37 Naoki Takeda (UofA) def.No. 40 Ben Lott (DRAKE) 6-3, 7-5

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No. 37 Naoki Takeda (UofA) vs. No. 35 Shane Vinsant (Texas A&M)