SALT LAKE -- Three BYU tennis players advanced to the quarterfinals at the conclusion of day one at the University of Utah Invitational on Thursday. Sophomore Cassidy Mears, along with freshman Daniel Hwang and Thomas Shubert will continue in the main draw tomorrow.
BYU fared well coming out of the first round of play. Seven of the eight Cougars competing in the tournament won their respective matches. In the next round however, four BYU players were pitted against one another, inevitably eliminating each other from the tournament.
"I was really pleased by the team's performance," said head coach Brad Pearce. "Advancing seven out of eight players to the second round is pretty good, but having to face one another in the next round was hard."
In doubles play, three of the four BYU pairs advanced to the quarterfinals. Shubert and AJ Young beat Alex Thatcher and Jonas Tyden from Utah State with a score of 8-4. Jonathan Sanchez and Mears defeated another pair from Utah State, 8-2. Tom Young and Tyler Clonts advanced over Timmy Allin and Wes Hancock from Utah, 8-3.
"We still have a long ways to go," said Pearce. "But I saw a lot of improvement since the Utah Tennis Classic down at BYU. I'm really proud of our guys today."
Play will continue tomorrow at the Liberty Park Tennis Center in Salt Lake City.
RESULTS
C. Mears BYU def. D. Alves WEBER ST, 6-4, 6-0
A. Young BYU def. T. Allin UTAH, 6-4, 6-2
C. Mears BYU def. A. Young BYU, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
E. Urbina BYU def. M. Searle UTAH ST, 6-2, 6-2
H. Hipp WEBER ST def. E. Urbina BYU, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
T. Young BYU def. M. Banks UTAH ST, 6-3, 6-1
O. Ericsson UTAH ST def. T. Young BYU, 7-5, 6-4
D. Hwang BYU def. J. Taylor UTAH, 6-3, 6-4
D. Hwang BYU def. J. Sanchez BYU, 6-2, 6-3
T. Shubert BYU def. S. Marchant WEBER ST, 6-0, 6-2
T. Shubert BYU def. J. Asplund UTAH ST, 6-2, 6-0
W. Hancock UTAH def. T. Clonts BYU, 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
T. Shubert and A. Young BYU def. A. Thatcher and J. Tyden UTAH ST, 8-4
S. Kiehne and F. Mancarella WEBER ST def. D. Hwang and E. Urbina BYU, 8-5
T. Clonts and T. Young BYU def. T. Allin and W. Hancock UTAH, 8-3
C. Mears and J. Sanchez BYU def. F. Gallegas and M. Searle UTAT ST, 8-2