Sept. 17, 2005
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Senior Eric Conklin, sophomore Max Jones and freshmen Graeme Kassautzki and Johnny Parkes advanced to the quarterfinals of the New Mexico State Invitational on Friday with two wins apiece.
Conklin slid past the College of Santa Fe’s Daniel Scholten, 6-0, 6-4, in his opening match. He followed with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Northern Arizona’s Gareth Gibiot-Ducray. Jones earned a 6-1, 6-4 decision over Christian Teney of Northern Arizona before cruising past New Mexico State’s Roman Stojsavijevic, 6-2, 6-2.
Kassautzki and Parkes started their careers with two easy wins. Kassautzki downed NAU’s Trenton Hayward, 6-0, 6-2 and Abilene Christian’s Casper Steenkamp, 6-1, 6-3, respectively. Parkes dropped ACU’s Kevin Beedy, 6-4, 6-0 and New Mexico State’s Christian Halligan, 7-6, 6-2.
Sophomore Kamil Pajkowski started the tournament with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over the Lumberjacks’ Scott Carruthers. Pajkowski fell to NMSU’s Stjepan Beg, 6-4, 7-6. Classmate Derek Lynch opened with a 6-1, 6-0 loss to the College of Santa Fe’s Ricardo Omana while freshman Chandler Brass fell in his first collegiate appearance, 6-0, 6-3, to Northern Arizona’s Henrik Lilja.
In doubles action, the tandems of Kassautzki-Conklin and Lynch-Brass had wins to open doubles play. Both tandems lost in the quarterfinals. The duo of Parkes and Pajkowski fell in the round of 16.
The Lobos return to the court tomorrow. Lynch starts off at 8 a.m. followed by Brass and Pajkowski at 9:30 a.m. Conklin, Jones, Kassautzki and Parkes all play at 10 a.m.