Winning Streak Ends at Nine in Tiebreaker, 4-3
DENVER, Colo. — New Mexico lost the doubles point for a third straight match, and this time, it cost them a win. Down 1-0, UNM split six singles matches, but tiebreakers at the end of doubles and singles spelled the end of UNM’s nine-game winning streak as the Lobos lost 4-3 at Denver.
The matchup was a non-conference affair featuring a pair of undefeated teams from neighboring conferences, as New Mexico went 7-0, winning the Mountain West while Denver went 6-0 in winning the Summit League. The loss dropped UNM to 13-7 overall, and Denver improved to 12-8. Both teams now head to their respective conference tournaments. New Mexico will take on Air Force, which tied for seventh place with Boise State, but is the No. 8 seed by virtue of BSU winning the tiebreaker. That match will open the 2019 Mountain West Tournament on Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Mountain TIme in Fresno, California.
UNM lost the doubles point, and it was in the most shocking of ways. Dominic West and Facundo Bermejo had won 11 straight doubles matches, dating all the way back to March 9, lost 6-2 at No. 2 doubles. That loss hurt, as Ricky Hernandez Tong and Stepan Holis won 6-4, evening the double up. But, Denver took the opening point as Daniel Krulig and Eric Morris defeated Tim Buttner and Nicolas Prieto 7-6 (7-5) in a tiebreaker.
That put UNM down 1-0, but in singles, Hernandez Tong hammered Mattia Ros 6-1, 6-0 to make it 1-1. Denver went back up 2-1 with a win at No. 5 singles as Ignatius Castelino defeated Bermejo 6-3, 6-3. UNM tied it up against at 2-2 with a gutsy 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win by Prieto at No. 6 singles. Denver than took a three-set win at No. 4 singles. Tim Buttner won his opening set 6-4, but then lost back-to-back sets at 6-1 and 6-1, and UNM needed both final singles matches. Stepan Holis was up 5-2 in the third set, but West was in a scuffle, losing the first set 6-4 and then going into a wild tiebreaker that saw him hold off a couple of set points to win it 12-10, forcing a third set.
That was needed when Holis finished off his 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win, meaning No. 2 singles was winner take all. West opened with a break, and then held for a quick 2-0 lead, but up 3-2, West was broken by Matt Summers, and it stayed on serve from there, going again to a tiebreaker. This time, West couldn’t hold off a final set point, losing 8-6.
NOTES: In the battle for the team lead in wins, Hernandez Tong, West and Holis are all tied with 22 each.