Cougars defeat East Tennessee State and Weber State in home openers

PROVO, Utah – The BYU men’s tennis team logged two wins, defeating East Tennessee State 4-3 and sweeping Weber State 4-0, in a doubleheader on Saturday at the Indoor Tennis Courts.

BYU vs. East Tennessee State Box Score

East Tennessee State

In the first match of the day, BYU claimed early victories in second and third doubles. Sam Tullis and Ben Gajardo teamed up for a quick 6-0 win over Yusuf Khamis and Juan Lugo, while David Ball and Sean Hill defeated Miguel Este and Dimitri Badra, 6-3.

The Buccaneers grabbed three points when they won the matches at No. 2, 3 and 4 singles. Mateo Vereau Melendez fell 4-6, 3-6 to Frazier Rengifo, Gajardo lost 4-6, 2-6 to Lugo and Matheus Ferreira Leite dropped his match 1-6, 4-6 to Thiago Pernas.

Down 3-1, the Cougars rallied back and went on to win the remaining singles matches. After being down a set, Hill came back to defeat Khamis 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. Tullis came out at the No. 5 slot strong against Badra and tied up the dual match with his 6-3, 6-3 win.

Making his dual-match debut on BYU’s home courts, Brocton Andrus clinched the match for the Cougars when he topped Dylan Bednarczyk 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles, closing out the match 4-3.

BYU vs. Weber State Box Score

Weber State

In their second match of the day, the Cougars came off a strong win with energy and confidence, which showed in doubles against the Wildcats when they handily took wins at the No. 2 and 3 slots.

Leite and Melendez came out with a 6-1 victory over Brendan Barr and Arthur Serafim, while Ball and Hill topped Cezary Walkusz and Sebastian Buxman 6-3.

BYU carried the momentum from doubles into the singles competition, where they won three consecutive matches. At No. 4 singles, Tullis topped Buxman 6-3, 6-2, while at the No. 2 slot, Melendez grabbed a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Serafim. Gajardo closed out the 4-0 sweep when he claimed a 7-6, 6-4 win over Bo-Han Li.

Up next, the Cougars travel to take on New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 11 a.m. MST.