Oct. 19, 2005
LAS VEGAS – Four of seven singles players and all three doubles teams entered in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Mountain Region VII Championships are still fighting for a title at the end of day one at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Sophomores Max Jones and Kamil Pajkowski and freshmen Graeme Kassautzki and Johnny Parkes enter the Round of 32 tomorrow morning while the tandems of Jones-Pajkowski, Parkes and freshman Chandler Brass and Kassautzki and senir Eric Conklin will play in the Round of 32 tomorrow afternoon.
Jones, the highest-seeded Lobo at No. 5, skipped the Round of 128 with a bye before shutting out Utah’s Dan Mascall, 6-0, 6-0 in the Round of 64. Kassautzki, seeded 15th, also opened the tournament with a bye. Kassautzki held on for a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over Montana’s Stuart Wing. Twenty-sixth-seeded Pajkowski, with an opening round bye, rebounded from a first set loss to New Mexico State’s Tim America for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. Parkes, seeded No. 31, blanked NAU’s Kyle Thieme (6-0, 6-0) in the Round of 128 and cruised past Denver’s Aljosa Nipic, 6-1, 6-2, in the Round of 64.
Brass kicked off his first appearance at the Regionals with a 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 win over Eastern Washington’s Jon Davis in the Round of 64. Brass fell 7-6, 6-3 to NMSU’s Stjepan Beg, seeded No. 29. Conklin and sophomore Derek Lynch suffered first round losses, falling 6-4, 6-3 to Eastern Washington’s Pannhara Mam and 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to Kyle Schraeder, respectively. Lynch also fell 6-3, 6-4 to Colorado’s Geoff Chizever in the first consolation round.
Jones and Pajkowksi, the seventh seed in the doubles draw, will start action tomorrow in the Round of 32 thanks to a bye in the Round of 64. Brass and Parkes netted an 8-3 win over Utah State’s Mike Banks and Lukas Bouton while Conklin and Kassautzki sent Davis and Brian Garfield to the consolation rounds with an 8-3 win.
New Mexico’s day begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. with singles. Doubles are slated for 4:30.