SALT LAKE CITY, Utah --- Marika Matsoukatidi and Coumba Ben Niangadou both won opening round qualifying matches featuring wild swings of emotions and results, but UNM didn't advance any players out of qualifying into the main draw as ITA Mountain West Regional play opened in Salt Lake City.
BYU is hosting the tournament, but due to weather, the entire event moved to nearby Utah, which has more indoor courts available. Due to the switch, the opening round of doubles will take place on Wednesday.
Both Matsoukatidi and Niangadou won in third-set 10-point tiebreakers after wild swings in the first two sets. Marika defeated Boise State's Ella Piron, with each player winning a love set. Piron took the first 6-0, but Matsoukatidi turned the tide and won the second 6-0. In the 10-point tiebreaker, Matsoukatidi won 10-6 to advance to the second round of qualifying.
In the second round, she faces Utah State's Tayla Wilmot. Again, she lost the opening set 6-0, but fought to a tiebreak in the second before losing 7-4, missing a shot at the main draw.
Niangadou's day was similar. Facing seeded Stela Dzimovic of UNLV, Coumba Ben won 1-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-6), nearly identical to her teammate. In her second-round match, with a shot at the main draw on the line, she lost to Mia Woo of Nevada 6-3, 6-1.
Also in the qualifying round were Ana Veroux, who lost to Utah's Hayley Roberts, the 2-seed, 6-2, 6-3; Vivica Corley, who lost a tight match to Boise State's Paula Schaefer, 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-3), and Yu Yun "Kathy" Tsai, who lost to Utah's Lily Stohl 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7).
Vianca Corley is the lone Lobo left in singles (though UNM will have backdraw matches), and she faces Utah's Emi Dowdell in the Round of 64. UNM's three doubles teams, two seeded, will also play tomorrow.