PROVO -- At the conclusion of day two of the Utah Fall Tennis Classic, four members of the BYU men's tennis team withstood the competition and will compete in the doubles finals on Saturday at the BYU outdoor tennis courts. Cougar veterans Cassidy Mears and Jonathan Sanchez will take on freshman newcomers Daniel Hwang and Evan Urbina.
Hwang and Urbina faced men's head coach, and two-time defending doubles champion, Brad Pearce and former Cougar James Ludlow in the semifinals. After a hard fought battle, the two freshman came away with a 9-7 victory.
"It felt really good," said Urbina. "I lost in the first round of the singles so this was a way of redeeming myself. Tomorrow I expect to play my game. I'm not really concerned with winning or losing at this point, as long as Evan and I work well together."
In the singles quarterfinal action, No. 1 seed Ludlow defeated former teammate Mears and will compete on Saturday against Ivan Kokurin. Kokurin advanced after an injury to Weber State's Sascha Kiehne.
BYU's Thomas Shubert had an exciting two-set quarterfinal victory over Henning Hipp and will prepare to compete against his head coach in the semifinals.
"It was a solid win," said Shubert. "I competed well. When it came down to the wire I stayed relaxed and I expected myself to win."
Play will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. All matches are open to the public and admission is free. The BYU outdoor tennis courts are located just south of the Smith Fieldhouse and the entrance is on the east side. All BYU parking lots are open to the public all day Saturday.
The event is sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association and each athlete participating will receive a USTA ranking at the end of the event. However, the event is not sanctioned by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association meaning the competition is not considered in NCAA or conference rankings or play. College athletes who participate do so as individuals and not as representatives of their respective schools.