Lobos Head Back to Vegas for ITA Regionals

LAS VEGAS, Nev.  — After a one-year sojourn to play in the ITA Central Regional Championships, the Lobos are back on familiar ground … literally and figuratively.  Six Lobos will do battle in Las Vegas, where the Lobos played just two weeks earlier, in the ITA Mountain Regionals, taking place October 17 through October 22.

UNM, which last competed two weeks ago in Las Vegas at the Mountain West Fall Qualifiers where they advanced three players to the singles quarterfinals and a doubles team to a third-place finish, will have a similar group playing among the 100 or so athletes competing.

Daniil Kakhniuk will take part in qualifying with 53 ohter players attempting to earn one of the 16 qualifier slots into the main draw.   Daniil will have to be one of the last 16 standing.  He would join teammates Aram Noroozian, Georgio Samaha, Nicolas Recoura, Dario Ciobotaru and Avery Tallakson in the main draw of 64.

In doubles, UNM will have pairings of Noroozian and Samaha, Ciobotaru and Tallakson, and Kakhniuk and Recoura, with all in the main draw of 64.  Some seeded teams will automatically advance into the Round of 32 for doubles.

Kakhniuk has rebounded nicely from the past two injury-riddled seasons to lead the team with a 7-3 mark so far in the fall.  Recoura is next with five fall wins, and Samaha and Tallakson are right behind with four.  Daniil and Recoura are 4-1 in doubles after their third-place finish in the MW Qualfier.  Noroozian and Samaha are 2-2 together, and CIobotaru and Tallakson are looking for their first wins as a pairing.

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