PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s tennis returns to action this week with two matches, the second of which will be the team’s first road contest of the year. The Cougars (1-1) host New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 11:00 a.m. MST before traveling to in-state foe Utah State on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 12:00 p.m. MST.
Thursday’s home match will be played at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts. Attendance is free.
Saturday’s match in Logan will be hosted by the Sports Academy & Racquet Club. Further details will be announced when available.
BYU Notes
- Sophomores Wally Thayne and Zach Fuchs were named WCC Doubles Team of the Week after their 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles versus Cal Poly last Friday.
- Fuchs is also 2-0 in singles this season, with freshman Redd Owen and senior Mateo Vereau also starting the year undefeated.
- BYU faced some UNM and USU players in the fall at the ITA Mountain Regional. Fuchs defeated UNM’s Ryoma Matsushita 6-4, 7-6 (5) in singles. He also teamed with Vereau to defeat UNM’s Daniil Kakhniuk and Aram Noroozian 8-6 in doubles.
- At the same tournament Thayne defeated USU’s Stijn Paardeooper 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 in singles.
New Mexico Notes
- The Lobos are 3-0 after wins over UT Arlington, Gonzaga and New Mexico State.
- UNM is lead by sophomore Arda Azkara, who is 3-0 at No. 1 singles thus far.
- Head coach Chris Russell is in his second season with New Mexico. Last year his team finished 11-13.
Series Information
- Series Record: BYU leads 34-23
- Last Meeting: New Mexico won two matches on Feb. 18 and 19, 2022, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both matches finished 4-0 for the Lobos.
Utah State Notes
- The Aggies are 2-2 on the season. They lost on the road against Oregon and Portland before winning at home versus Eastern Washington and Grand Canyon.
- USU will play Utah on Wednesday in Salt Lake City before hosting BYU.
- Head coach Aaron Paajanen is in his fourth season in Logan. He is 28-33 all-time with the Aggies.
Series Information
- Series Record: BYU leads 53-5
- Last Meeting: BYU won 4-3 in Provo on March 26, 2022