PROVO, Utah --- Four Lobos: David Schwarc, Dario Ciobotaru, Alberto Perez, and Philip Bosin all won in singles to advance to the Round of 32 at the ITA Mountain Regionals in Provo, Utah, hosted by BYU.
Additionally, No. 5 seed Max Relic and Alberto Perez won in doubles to advance to the quarterfinals. There, the duo will take on the No. 1 seed from UNLV, Marko Maksimovic and Kemel Arda Karakas. In doubles, seven of the top eight seeds advanced into the quarterfinals.
In singles, UNM had five players in the main draw Round of 64, and four advanced, and UNM nearly got all five. UNM's two seeded players won their opening matches. Schwarc, the 13-seed, took out Utah's Julius Bult, winning 6-4, 6-3, and will now face Nevada's Axel Huysmans. Ciobotaru, the No. 15 seed, easily handled Martin Mazev of Utah, winning 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the Round of 32, where he will face Boise State's Izan Orgiles.
Also winning was Perez, who beat Idaho State's Luka Vujacic 6-3, 6-4. Perez will have a Round of 32 matchup with 11th-seeded Eliot Nobel of Utah State. Rounding out UNM's singles winners was Philip Bosin, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over host BYU's David Duong. Perez will face No. 12 Simeon Terziev of Utah.
UNM's only main-draw loss was Max Relic, who lost perhaps the tightest match of the night to BYU's Caden Hasler, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, though Relic is still alive in doubles.
Action continues on Thursday in both singles and doubles, culminating in the championship on Saturday, where the regional champs will be crowned.