PROVO, Utah --- New Mexico sent a doubles team and five singles players to the Round of 32 as the Lobos competed on opening day of the ITA Mountain Regionals, hosted by BYU.
UNM's seeded pairing of Max Relic and Alberto Perez earned a bye into the Round of 32 as the No. 5 seed in the draw, and they will be joined there by UNM's other top doubles pairing of Dario Ciobotaru and Philip Bosin, who won 8-6 over Montana State's Eddie Biss and Andre Stewart.
Relic and Perez will face off with Air Force's Tyler Leaird and Caden Lee, while Ciobotaru and Bosin will take on the tournament's No. 13 seed, Otto Schreiner and Caden Hasler of BYU.
In singles on Tuesday, five Lobos attempted to qualify for the main draw, needing two wins to advance as one of the 16 qualifiers.
UNM sent four players, Connor Dils, Nikhil Srivatsa, Carl Labitzke, and Juan Rodriguez, who all won their first matches but missed qualifying, dropping their second matches. Rodriguez won his opener 6-0, 6-1 over Lee of Air Force, but then ran into the top seed in qualifying, Idaho State's Timo De Visser, and lost in a close match, 6-0, 5-7, 6-2.
Nikhil Srivatsa won his opener 6-1, 7-5 over Weber State's Beckham Butler, but he dropped his match to advance to the main draw, losing 6-3, 6-2 to the No. 5 seed in qualifying, Air Force's Alex Fritzinger.
Connor Dils suffered the same fate, winning his opener 6-3, 6-2 over Montana's Mason McCarthy but falling 6-4, 6-3 to No. 7 seed Martin Mazev of Utah. Labitzke won his opening match 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 over Air Force's Sebastian Mazur, but he lost to No. 6 seed Iker Ibarrando Suarez of Utah, 6-0, 6-4.
Andrew Lavine dropped his opening match to Antonie du Toit Malan of Weber State, 6-3, 6-1. Lavine will play an extra match tomorrow against Mazur of Air Force.
UNM's five players in the main draw feature a pair of seeded players. David Schward is the No. 13 seed, and he will play Utah's Julius Bult. Ciobotaru is the 15 seed, and he will take on Mazev, who knocked out Connor Dils.
Other Lobos in the opening Round of 64 include Philip Bosin, taking on BYU's David Duong; Alberto Perez, taking on Idaho State's Luka Vujacic; and Max Relic, taking on BYU's Caden Hasler. Bosin is looking to continue his hot play after going 6-0 combined at the Sherwood Collegiate Cup a week ago.