Utah takes down UC Davis and Weber State in season opener

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men's tennis program sprang back into action this afternoon with a season-opening double-header against the UC Davis Aggies and the Weber State Wildcats. The squad defeated UC Davis 6-1 and swept Weber State 7-0 for a 2-0 record to start off the spring season.

Match #1 – UC Davis
The day began with doubles play, where the Utes took the point early on. On court two, Geronimo Espin Busleiman and Franco Capalbo defeated the Aggie duo consisting of Ryan Torees and Lucas Bollonger in a 6-3 match. Soon after, teammates Patrik Trhac and Berk Bugarikj took the upper hand on court one in a 6-4 match that warded the squad the first match point. On court three the match remained unfinished, with UC Davis leading 5-4.

The second point of the match came on court six, where Bruno Caula downed Aggie, Coleton Hootman 6-0, 6-2 in a near-sweep. Soon after, Bugarikj took the win on court three 6-2, 6-2 and a 3-0 score for the team. Trhac gave a stellar performance on court four, taking the upper hand against Lucas Bollinger 6-4, 6-4 and awarding Utah with the clinching point.

The Utes now faced tiebreaker sets in the remaining three matches. On court two, Francisco Bastias fought it out with UC Davis's Brett Brinkman, but ultimately fell in a 6-3, 0-6, 10-6 match. On court one, Espin Busleiman faced yet another tough match but pulled through with the victory for final score 5-7, 6-3, 10-1. Finally, Mateo Julio took the last match point when he defeated Sam De Vries 7-6(9-7), 5-7, 10-8 on court five.

Match #2 – Weber State
The Utah squad moved to the second and final match of the season opener, this time against the Wildcats. On court one, Trhac and Bugarikj quickly took the lead and had a decisive 6-3 win over the Weber State tandem. The doubles point was decided on court two, as Espin Busleiman and Capalbo defeated Jordan Coutinho and William Zulch 6-3 as well. The match remained unfinished on court three with score 4-5.

Singles play took off swiftly for the Utes. On court three, Capalbo had a quick win against Wildcat William Zulch, ending in a 6-1, 6-0 match. The third match point came on court six where Julio had an identical 6-1, 6-0 match against Jack Lin. Utah clinched the match on court one as Espin Busleiman took a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Sebastian Buxman.

Soon after, Caula downed his opponent on court five 6-3, 6-3. On court four, Bugarikj finished a tough match with a tiebreaker set 6-2, 4-6, 10-7, coming out victorious. Teammate Bastias had the last call on the court, pulling through the second set with a 7-6(7-3) score after winning the first set 6-3 and awarding Utah a perfect win against the Wildcats.

UP NEXT
The Utes will jump back into action next weekend for the ITA Kickoff at Texas Tech in Fort Worth beginning at 10 a.m. MT.
 
Match 1 - UTAH 6, UCD 1
Singles (6,3,4,2,1,5)
1. Geronimo Espin Busleiman (UTAH) def. Andrei Volgin (UCD) 5-7, 6-3, 10-1
2. Brett Brinkman (UCD) def. Francisco Bastias (UTAH) 6-3, 0-6, 10-6
3. Berk Bugarikj (UTAH) def. Constantinos Djakouris 6-2, 6-2
4. Patrik Trhac (UTAH) def. Lucas Bollinger (UCD) 6-4, 6-4
5. Julio Mateo (UTAH) def. Sam De Vries (UCD) 7-6(9-7), 5-7, 10-8
6. Bruno Caula (UTAH) def. Coleton Hootman (UCD) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles (2,1)
1. Patrik Trhac/Berk Bugarikj (UTAH) def. Andrei Volgin/Mitchell Davis (UCD) 6-4
2. Geronimo Espin Busleiman/Franco Capalbo (UTAH) def. Ryan Torres/Lucas Bollinger (UCD) 6-3
3. Francisco Bastias/Bruno Caula (UTAH) vs Coleton Hootman/Brett Brinkman (UCD) 4-5, unf.
 
Match 2 – UTAH 7, WSU 0
Singles (3,6,1,5,4,2)
1. Geronimo Espin Busleiman (UTAH) def. Sebastian Buxman (WSU)
2. Francisco Bastias (UTAH) def. Tristan Sarap (WSU)
3. Franco Capalbo (UTAH) def. William Zulch (WSU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Berk Bugarikj (UTAH) def. Jordan Coutinho (WSU)
5. Bruno Caula (UTAH) def. Jack Lin (WSU)
6. Mateo Julio (UTAH) def. Jack Lin (WSU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles (1,2)
1. Patrik Trhac/Berk Bugarikj (UTAH) def. Sebastian Buxman/Tristan Sarap (WSU) 6-3
2. Franco Capalbo/Geronimo Espi Busleiman (UTAH) def. Jordan Coutinho/William Zulch (WSU) 6-3
3. Francisco Bastias/Bruno Caula (UTAH) vs Matteo Savio/Jack Lin (WSU) 4-5, unf.