LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's tennis
(4-2, 1-0 MW), the two-time defending Mountain West champions, opened its title defense run on Sunday, sweeping Boise State
(1-4, 0-1 MW), 4-0, at the Sports Academy & Racquet Club.
"We got off to a good start in doubles," head coach James Wilson said. "It was a bit of a struggle early on, there were some shifts in momentum, but in the big moments, we were able to come through. That really helped us. We got a lot of momentum from the doubles. In singles play, Sammy (Serrano) played very well, played a complete match, didn't give anything away, just did a really good job. Sergiu (Bucur) was able to keep it together well, did a good job. I didn't see much of Jose (Carvajal), but he had a really good start and was able to finish it off. That was great."
The doubles matches were tightly contested with teams unable to break through on either side. Senior Jaime Barajas and freshman Jose Carvajal finally broke the serve of juniors Kyle Butters and Jack Heslin to win at the No. 1 spot, 7-5. Junior Samuel Serrano and freshman Valdemar Holm secured the doubles point with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot over sophomore Ryland McDermott and freshman Matteo Tinelli. Freshman Felipe Acosta and sophomore Sergiu Bucur were tied up, 6-6, at the No. 3 spot with junior Wyatt DeMulling and freshman Stefan Lalovic, but the match would end unfinished due to the action on the other courts.
Carvajal never dropped a game in his opening singles set against Lalovic at the No. 4 spot, winning the match, 6-0, 6-4. Serrano had a strong match at the No. 3 spot, breaking serve to win it, 6-3, 6-2, against DeMulling. Bucur clinched the Aggie victory after winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, at the No. 2 spot against Tinelli. The remaining singles matches would end unfinished.
Utah State next travels to Texas where they will first take on Texas on Friday at 6 p.m. (MT) in Austin. The Aggies then head to San Antonio to face UTSA on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
