LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Samir Iftikhar, James Hignett, and Bart Van Leijsen will represent the University of New Mexico on the fifth and final day of the 2014 USTA/ITA Mountain Regional Championships as all three Lobos have earned a spot in a final match.
Second-seeded Iftikhar claimed a quick 6-2, 6-1 victory over Denver’s Alex Gasson (No. 9 seed) in the semifinals on Saturday to earn a spot in the singles championship for the third consecutive year. Iftikhar has competed in the regional singles championship the past two years, but he has yet to claim the title. He will look to change that trend on Sunday as he battles DU’s top-seeded Henry Craig in the final match.
This situation may seem all too familiar to the UNM senior as Craig and Iftikhar faced off against each other in last year’s regional championship match, where Craig claimed the victory 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. However, when the two opponents met up in the 2014 regular season, Iftikhar picked up the win over Craig, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Fans can expect an intense championship match as the top two seeds go head-to-head for the title for the second time.
Iftikhar’s advancement into the singles championship marks the sixth time in the last seven years that the Lobos have had a finalist in the singles competition at the regional tournament.
“Sam was focused and determined from the start to finish today,” head coach Bart Scott said. “We had a great game plan in place and Sam executed it to perfection. To reach the finals of the regionals for three straight years speaks to Sam’s focus and hard work. He will be ready for a fight tomorrow.”
The singles championship is set to start at 10:00 a.m. PDT on Sunday.
Iftikhar was not the only UNM competitor that found success in semifinals action. Eighth-seeded UNM doubles pair Hignett and Van Leijsen picked up an incredible comeback victory in their doubles semifinals match against third-seeded Garrett Patton and Brendan McClain of Boise State on Saturday.
Just when it seemed as if the Lobos’ run in the doubles competition was about to come to an end, Hignett and Van Leijsen rallied back from a 0-6, 2-5 deficit to pull off an unbelievable win. The Lobo duo battled back to take the match 0-6, 7-6, 10-8. They will face No. 1 seed DU doubles team Craig and Gasson in the championship match on Sunday.
“What a fun match to be a part of,” assistant coach Ben Dunbar said. “At the start of the match, Boise played well and we were a little unlucky here and there. However, our guys dealt with adversity, stayed strong, and believed even when they were down 6-0 5-1. It took every ounce of courage to come through, but in the big times of the match James and Bart played aggressive committed tennis and trusted in the process. Credit to Boise, as always they played with heart and pushed us to the very end.”
DU’s Craig and Gasson earned their spot in the doubles championship match by defeating UNM’s Rodolfo Jauregui and Hayden Sabatka (No. 4 seed), 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday. The Lobo doubles team gave an impressive performance against the top-seeded duo, however they could not pull off the upset.
The doubles championship is set to start at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Sunday.
Follow UNM men’s tennis on Facebook and Twitter for updates and results from the Lobos’ regional championship matches.