LAS VEGAS – New Mexico
State’s men’s tennis team opened the Wilson/ITA Mountain Regional Championship
with a split 6-6 overall record in the first day of competition at the Darling
Tennis Center, Wednesday, Oct. 21.
NM State opened the
tournament with four seeded singles players and two seeded doubles teams. The
team’s highest seed, No. 2 Jim Brouleau, and No. 25 Arthur Surrueaux, were
knocked into the consolation draw, leaving the Aggies with two seeded singles
players in the main draw.
“Jim did not start well
and never really got into rhythm,” head coach Don Ball said. “In the first
match, you have to get used to the environment, and he didn’t make the right
adjustments.”
Brouleau lost to Idaho’s
Alex Joitoiu, 6-4, 6-4, in the Round of 64, after receiving a first round bye.
Surreaux was defeated by Denver’s Andrew Landwerlen, 6-3, 6-2, in the opening
Round of 128.
The two advancing seeded
players for the Aggies were No. 7 Gustave Diep and No. 25 Matej Stakne.
Diep downed Denver’s
Aaron Wicker, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1, after enjoying a first round bye. Stakne won both
of his singles matches on the day – 6-3, 6-1, against Montana State’s King
Koehler, in the first round, and 6-0, 6-3, against BYU’s Daniel Hwanga in the
second round.
“Matej has had a pretty
good tournament so far,” Ball said. “Hopefully he can continue his run
tomorrow.”
Also on the day, Armando
Morales won his first singles match of the day, but fell to BYU’s Roman Warias,
6-1, 6-3, in the Round of 64. Eduardo Salas dropped his first singles match,
but bounced back and won a consolation match against Boise State’s Nick
Gourley, 7-5, 6-1. Craig Duran also lost in the first round to in state rival,
UNM’s Joe Wood, 6-4, 7-6.
In NM State’s only
doubles match of the day, Morales and Stakne lost 8-2, to Air Force’s Cody Hall
and Lance Wilhelm.
The fifth seeded doubles
team of Diep and Eduardo Salas, and the seventh seeded duo of Brouleau and
Surreaux, will play in the Round of 32 tomorrow, after receiving a first round
bye.
“Hopefully we get off to
a good start tomorrow and make the proper adjustments,” Ball said.
ITA Mountain
Region Championships- Day One Results
Singles Main Draw-
Round of 128
Joe Wood UNM, def. Craig
Duran NMSU, 6-4; 7-6
Andrew Landwerlen
Denver, Arthur Surreaux NMSU, 6-3; 6-2
Armando Morales NMSU,
def. Kevin Taylor NAU, 6-3; 6-1
Matej Stakne NMSU, def.
King Koehler Montana State, 6-3; 6-1
Adrian Simon Idaho, def.
Eduardo Salas NMSU, 6-3; 6-4
Singles Main Draw-
Round of 64
Gustave Diep NMSU, def.
Aaron Wicker Denver, 6-7; 7-5; 6-1
Alex Joitoiu Idaho, def.
Jim Brouleau NMSU, 6-4; 6-4
Roman Warias BYU, def.
Armando Morales NMSU, 6-1; 6-3
Matej Stakne NMSU, def.
Daniel Hwang BYU, 6-0; 6-3
Singles Consolation-
First Round
Arthur Surreaux NMSU,
def. Nate Gross Idaho State, 6-1; 6-2
Eduardo Salas NMSU, def.
Nick Gourley BSU, 7-5; 6-1
Doubles Main Draw-
Round of 64
Cody Hall/Lance Wilhelm
Air Force, def. Armando Morales/Matej Stakne NMSU, 8-2
Courtesy: Rebecca Craig
