ALBUQUERUQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s tennis team went 2-2 on the final day of the 2014 Balloon Fiesta Invitational held at the McKinnon Family Tennis Complex and the Linda Estes Tennis Complex.
The Lobos started the day strong with a win in doubles play. James Hignett and Rodolfo Jauregui defeated Air Force’s Grant Taylor and Max Olson, 8-4, in UNM’s only doubles match of the day.
Jauregui and Shunji Hirooka both competed in the final match of their respective singles brackets, but both Lobos came up short. Jauregui played a tough match against New Mexico State’s Patrick Pfister. Jauregui claimed the first set, 6-4, but couldn’t find the momentum he needed in the next two sets. Pfister tallied a 6-1 win in the second set and then eventually took the third set, 6-3, to win the Cherry Singles championship title. Hirooka battled Northern Arizona’s Felix Schumann for the Silver Singles title, but Schumann quickly earned the win, 6-1, 6-2. Hirooka, a redshirt freshman, has made it to the championship match of his singles brackets in both of the fall tournaments he has competed in.
Hignett picked up the Lobos’ only singles victory of the day with a win over Mark Ihrig of Denver, 6-0, 6-1, in consolation play.
The Lobos’ next fall tournament is the 2014 USTA/ITA Mountain Regional Championships being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 15-19.
For updates and news about the UNM men’s tennis team, follow along on the UNM Men’s Tennis Facebook page and twitter account.