NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – BYU’s Mateo Vereau Melendez advanced to the round of 32 at the ITA National Fall Championships on Wednesday.

“Both Mateo and Sean are striking the ball as well as anyone in this tournament,” BYU head coach Brad Pearce said. “Every player here is also an outstanding player, so it comes down to seizing opportunities and the momentum at the key times in the match that becomes the difference between winning and losing.”

Vereau Melendez faced Tim Dollman of Auburn University in the singles round of 64 and handily defeated him 6-2, 6-4, to continue to the round of 32. Sean Hill fell to Ohio State University’s No. 14 seed Cannon Kingsley, 5-7, 2-6.

“I was happy for Mateo,” Pearce continued. “He played a complete match today. Sean has had a great ride the past couple of weeks, but ran into a seeded player from Ohio State that was also at the top of his game, and came up short.  Fortunately, both will get more match-play tomorrow. Being here and playing against the best players in collegiate tennis is an awesome opportunity for them both.”

Tomorrow, Vereau Melendez will take on No. 11 seed Christian Sigsgaard of the University of Texas in the round of 32, while Hill competes in the singles consolation draw against the University of Minnesota's Stefan Milicevic.

Day 2 Recap

PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Sean Hill and Mateo Vereau Melendez will participate in the ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach, California, while six other players will compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate in Los Angeles, California.

The ITA National Fall Championships begins on Nov. 6, and runs through Nov. 9, while the Southern California Intercollegiate runs from Nov. 7 to Nov. 9.

ITA National Fall Championships

Senior Hill and sophomore Vereau Melendez will represent the Cougars in the singles competition. The two Cougars earned an automatic bid when Hill was named the champion of the ITA Mountain Regionals and Vereau Melendez the runnerup. 

The ITA National Fall Championships features 64 of the nation’s top collegiate singles players and 32 doubles teams. In its third year, having replaced the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, it is the lone event on the collegiate tennis calendar to feature competitors from all five divisions playing in the same tournament.

For the most up-to-date information on the Oracle ITA National Championships, visit the official tournament page at ITATennis.com.

Southern California Intercollegiate 

Seniors Sam Tullis and David Ball, juniors Ben Gajardo and Matheus Ferreira Leite, sophomore Vinicius Feijao Nogueira and freshman Jack Barnett will represent the Cougars at the Southern California Intercollegiate.

BYU will compete in singles and doubles against players from various schools, such as UCLA, University of San Diego, Stanford, University of Texas and the University of Columbia.

More information can be found on the official tournament page.