TULSA, Okla. – University of New Mexico sophomore Hayden Sabatka dropped a tough 6-3, 6-4 match to Tulsa’s Dylan McCloskey in the first round of qualifying play at the Saint Francis Health System ITA Men’s All-American Championships being played at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Sabatka was competing for a chance to eventually play in the main draw, but his run was cut short as McCloskey snuck ahead to grab the early victory on Monday morning.
Sabatka also competed in a consolation singles match on Monday afternoon against Washington’s Emmett Egger (No. 83 in ITA pre-season rankings). Sabatka claimed the first set 6-3, but Egger wasn’t going to give up easily. The UW senior won the second set, 6-3, and eventually claimed the third set 7-5 to defeat Sabatka.
Lobo Samir Iftikhar will team up with Sabatka to compete in the Qualifying Doubles Draw on Tuesday at 5 p.m. CT. The duo will face Bernardo Saraiva and Nils Skajaa of the University of San Francisco.