BYU opens conference play with 5-2 win over Santa Clara

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis (5-4, 1-0 WCC) beat Santa Clara (2-2, 0-1 WCC) 5-2, at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts on Saturday.

"I’m very pleased with the way that we came out in doubles," said BYU head coach Dave Porter. "We started quicker than we had in some of the previous matches and I think that helped set the tone for the day. We had some pretty convincing wins from Sean Hill, Sam Tullis and Matheus Ferreira Leite that sealed the deal, and then won two of the three remaining matches, so it was it was a good win for our first conference match. It gave the boys some confidence and we are excited to get back to work and look forward to playing Air Force on Friday."

BYU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with quick wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Sean Hill and Sam Tullis teamed up at No. 3 doubles and defeated Vasileios Ilipoulos Santiago Hinojosa, 6-3. Ben Gajardo and Jack Barnett clinched the doubles point in a 6-4 victory over Mann Shah and Dominic Barretto.

BYU carried over the momentum earned in doubles into singles matches. Tullis dominated his singles match, coming away with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Iliopolous. Matheus Leite gave BYU a commanding 3-0 lead as he stepped into the No. 6 spot and beat Nick Cmager, 6-0, 6-1. Hill gave BYU its fourth point and the win in another dominant Cougar victory, 6-2, 6-1 over Shah. With the win, Hill moves to 8-0 on the season.

Santa Clara picked up its first win of the match by way of Arthur Neuhaus who defeated Dominik Jakovljevic, 6-2, 6-4. The Broncos picked up another point when Guillaume Dalmasso beat Mateo Melendez, 7-6, 6-4. Gajardo ended the day on a positive note for BYU as he outlasted Barretto, 7-5, 6-4.

Next up, BYU will host the Air Force Academy on Friday, Mar. 12 at 2 p.m. MST. Live stats will be available. A live stream will also be available, if the match is played indoors.

At this time, spectators at home matches are still limited to family members only.

MATCH RESULTS

BYU 5, SCU 2

Doubles Matches

1. Ben Gajardo/Jack Barnett (BYU) def. Mann Shah/Dominic Barretto (SCU), 6-4

2. Guillaume Dalmasso/Arthur Neuhaus (SCU) v. Mateo Melendez/Dominik Jakovljevic (BYU), 5-4, uf.

3. Sean Hill/Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Vasileios Ilipoulos/Santiago Hinojosa (SCU), 6-3

Order of finish: (3, 1)

Singles Matches

1. Sean Hill (BYU) def. Mann Shah (SCU), 6-2, 6-1

2. Ben Gajardo (BYU) def. Dominic Barretto (SCU), 7-5, 6-4

3. Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) def. Mateo Melendez (BYU), 7-6, 6-4

4. Sam Tullis (BYU) def. Vasileios Iliopoulos (SCU), 6-1, 6-1

5. Arthur Neuhaus (SCU) def. Dominik Jakovljevic (BYU), 6-2, 6-4

6. Matheus Leite (BYU) def. Nick Cmager (SCU), 6-0, 6-1

Order of finish: (4, 6, 1, 5, 3, 2)