DENVER -- It was a hard-fought battle between two unbeaten teams on Friday night, with the No. 60 BYU men's tennis team recording a 4-3 upset victory over No. 53 Denver. With the win the Cougars improve to a perfect 7-0 on the season, while snapping the Pioneers' six-match winning streak.
BYU secured the doubles point with opening wins on courts two and three. Evan Urbina and Spencer Smith defeated their Denver opponents 8-5 to start the night. Daniel Hwang and Georgy Batrakov were next to follow with a close 9-8 win.
Both teams won three points in singles play, with Urbina starting things off once again. He posted a 6-0, 6-4 win over DU's David Simson. Batrakov pulled out a 7-6, 7-5 win on court four to give BYU a 3-0 overall lead.
The Pioneers recorded consecutive three-set wins at the Nos. 6, 5 and 1 positions to tie the match, 3-3.
After losing the first set 7-6, senior Cassidy Mears showed his experience as he came back to win the following two, claiming a 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 win over DU freshman, Fabio Biasion. Mears' individual victory also clinched the overall win for BYU.
The Cougars continue play in Denver on Saturday with a match against Drake scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.
Tennis Match Results
BYU vs Denver Pioneers - Men
Feb 12, 2010 at Denver, Colo.
#60 BYU 4, #53 Denver Pioneers - Men 3
Doubles
1. Landwerlen/Simson def Shubert/Mears 8-7
2. Urbina/Smith def Weihs/Vorkefeld 8-5
3. Hwang/Batrakov def. Bonin/Biasion 9-8
Order of Finish 2,3,1
Singles
1. Weihs def Shubert 4-6 7-6, 6-3
2. Urbina def Simson 6-0 6-4
3. Mears def Biasion 6-7 6-3 7-6
4. Batrakov def Bonin 7-6 7-5
5. Landwerlen def Warias 6-3 4-6 6-4
6. Vorkefeld def 4-6 6-2 6-2
Order of Finish 2,4,6,5,1,3