Cowboys Win In Thrilling Fashion Over Arkansas, 4-3

Sunday, February 8

Fayetteville, AR

2 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Arkansas

February 08, 2026 | Cowboy Tennis

Box Score

Fayetteville, Ark. – Oklahoma State's men's tennis team earned a down-to-the-wire victory over Arkansas in a battle that came down to the last match on court six.

Going right to the last bout and tied at 3-3, OSU freshman Haydar Gokpinar battled for over two and a half hours with Arkansas' Eric Padgham, trading tiebreaker sets, setting up a final set for the entire match. With the match on the line, the undefeated freshman stepped up and delivered a dominant third set to win the match against the Razorbacks, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1. The native of Turkey is 6-0 on the season and his only lost set was the first set of today's match.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 6-2 on the season and earned their 20^th overall win over Arkansas. In addition, the Cowboys have now won four-straight matches over the SEC opponents and head coach Dustin Taylor is now 4-1 all-time versus the SEC. The team from Stillwater holds a 13-1 record against the Razorbacks in the last 14 matches.

The Pokes got out to a quick 1-0 lead over the Razorbacks. OSU has now won seven of eight doubles points to start the 2026 season.

Derek Pham and freshman Charlie Valentine got things going with the first ranked win of the season for the Cowboys, defeating Arkansas' 31^st-ranked pairing of Jakub Vrba and Connor Smillie, 6-3. It was the pairing's first action on court two this season.

Sliding down to court three, OSU's Alessio Basile and Ian Bracks took down Dmitry Kopilevich and Brendan Boland to clinch the doubles point for the Pokes, 6-3. Basile is now 7-1 in doubles this season and the Bracks-Basile duo is now 3-0, with all three wins coming this weekend. With the point going to the Cowboys, Nicolas Kobelt and Aaron Williams work on court one went unfinished at 5-5 against Arkansas' Ben Weintraub and Padgham.

With the top three courts all going to Arkansas, the rest of singles were needed and won by a pair of returners, Bracks and Kobelt.

Bracks decisively took out Kopilevich in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. It was the sophomore's first win on court five this season. He becomes the first Cowboy this year to win on five separate courts in just seven matches.

Kobelt set Gokpinar up to take the win, taking down Gabriel Elicha Navas, 6-4, 6-2. The junior already defeated Navas in the fall at the UTR Norman. Kobelt improves to 6-1 on the campaign.

The Cowboys will head back to Stillwater and prepare for match with in-state-rival Tulsa on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State men's tennis, visit okstate.com and follow @CowboyTennis on Instagram and X.

Oklahoma State 4, Arkansas 3
Singles Competition
1. No. 19 Jakub Vrba (ARK) def. Alessio Basile (OSU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Lukas Palovic (ARK) def. Derek Pham (OSU), 7-5, 6-4
3. Ben Weintraub (ARK) def. Aaron Williams (OSU), 6-3, 6-3
4. Nicolas Kobelt (OSU) Gabriel Elicha Navas (ARK), 6-4, 6-2
5. Ian Bracks (OSU) def. Dmitry Kopilevich (ARK), 6-1, 6-3
6. Haydar Gokpinar (OSU) def. Eric Padgham (ARK), 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-1

Doubles Competition
1. Nicolas Kobelt/Aaron Williams (OSU) vs. Ben Weintraub/Eric Padgham (ARK), 5-5 (unf.)
2. Derek Pham/Charlie Valentine (OSU) def. No. 31 Jakub Vrba/Connor Smillie (ARK), 6-3
3. Ian Bracks/Alessio Basile (OSU) def. Dmitry Kopilevich/Brendan Boland (ARK), 6-3
Order of finish:
Doubles: (2,3) Singles: (5,3,4,1,2,6)