RIVERSIDE, Calif. — BYU men’s tennis defeated UC Riverside in both rounds of a doubleheader on Friday, seizing two 4-0 victories at the SRC Tennis Courts. The contest marked the first all-time meeting between the programs.
“Great focus from the Cougars throughout the day,” said BYU men’s tennis head coach Zack Warren. “Securing two 4-0 wins on the road is something I know the team is proud of. We’re excited to get back to Provo tomorrow and prepare for our next match at home against Nevada.”
Junior Wally Thayne has now earned six singles wins in a row at the No. 2 slot, with a record of 6-1 on the year. He and fellow junior Zach Fuchs also claimed both doubles matches together to improve to a team-leading 5-1 record. Sophomore Redd Owen also improved to 6-1 in singles play.
In addition to competing in doubles, freshman TJ Wells re-entered the singles lineup Friday, totaling two wins that included a dominant 6-0, 6-1 success in the first match.
With the victory, BYU improves to 5-3 on the year and 3-3 on the road. Each of the Cougars’ first six away matches have been in California.
Match 1
Doubles
- Wally Thayne/Zach Fuchs (BYU) def. Joshua Roth/Justin Lamy (UCR) 6-3
- Jack Barnett/Redd Owen (BYU) vs. Ryan Huynh/Aarav Sane (UCR) 5-5 (unfinished)
- TJ Wells/Tygen Goldammer (BYU) def. Lucas Ibarrondo Suarez/Hugo DeGrande (UCR) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3
BYU set the tone early with Thayne and Fuchs overpowering Highlanders Joshua Roth and Justin Lamy 6-3. Freshmen Wells and Tygen Goldammer then secured their second victory of the season together with a 6-4 win. Jack Barnett and Owen’s tight match went unfinished in a 5-5 stalemate.
Singles
- Jack Barnett (BYU) vs. Joshua Roth (UCR) 6-3, 2-1 (unfinished)
- Wally Thayne (BYU) def. Justin Lamy (UCR) 6-0, 6-1
- Zach Fuchs (BYU) def. Lucas Ibarrondo Suarez (UCR) 6-0, 6-2
- Redd Owen (BYU) vs. Hugo DeGrande (UCR) 6-4, 1-0 (unfinished)
- David Duong (BYU) vs. Ryan Huynh (UCR) 4-6, 3-0 (unfinished)
- TJ Wells (BYU) def. Lucas Mszyca (UCR) 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 2, 3
Wells kicked things off with his first career singles win in a dominant 6-0, 6-1 triumph at No. 6 singles. Thayne finished next, taking down Justin Lamy on court two with an identical 6-0, 6-1 score en route to his sixth straight singles win.
Fuchs continued the winning trend for the Cougars, taking care of business on court three in convincing fashion 6-0, 6-2 to improve to 4-3 in singles.
The battle between Barnett and Roth on court one went unfinished with Barnett up 6-3, 2-1. Owen also held the upper hand against Hugo DeGrande (UCR) with a 6-4, 1-0 lead. Freshman David Duong had taken a promising 3-0 lead after dropping the first set 4-6 on court five.
Match 2
Doubles
- Wally Thayne/Zach Fuchs (BYU) def. Joshua Roth/Justin Lamy (UCR) 6-1
- Jack Barnett/Redd Owen (BYU) def. Ryan Huynh/Aarav Sane (UCR) 6-3
- TJ Wells/Tygen Goldammer (BYU) def. Lucas Ibarrondo Suarez/Hugo DeGrande (UCR) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Like the first round, BYU began with commanding wins in doubles play. Wells and Goldammer racked up another win over Highlanders Suarez and DeGrande 6-1. Barnett and Owen later sealed the doubles point with a 6-3 win as Thayne and Fuchs closed it out just seconds later for a 6-1 victory.
Singles
- Wally Thayne (BYU) vs. Joshua Roth (UCR) 3-6, 6-2, 2-2 (unfinished)
- Zach Fuchs (BYU) vs. Justin Lamy (UCR) 7-6 (2), 3-4 (unfinished)
- Redd Owen (BYU) def. Lucas Ibarrondo Suarez (UCR) 6-0, 6-1
- Tygen Goldammer (BYU) def. Hugo DeGrande (UCR) 6-2, 6-3
- David Duong (BYU) vs. Aarav Sane (UCR) 4-6, 6-6 (unfinished)
- TJ Wells (BYU) def. Ryan Huynh (UCR) 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Order of finish: 3, 4, 6
Owen led the charge on court three with a lopsided 6-0, 6-1 win, earning his sixth singles win on the year. Goldammer followed suit with a 6-2, 6-3 win to further extend BYU’s lead. Wells stepped up to provide the clincher on court six with a second set tiebreaker win. Outlasting Ryan Huynh for his second singles win on the day, the score ended at 6-2, 7-6 (4).
The three unfinished matches were all tight battles, with Thayne in the middle of a third set, Fuchs on the second set after a tiebreaker win and Duong deadlocked at 6-6 after dropping the first set 4-6.
Up Next
BYU will return home to face Nevada on Saturday, Feb. 17 in a 1 p.m. matinee at the Indoor Tennis Courts. Follow along with live stats or watch here.