UP NEXT: Utah opens Pac-12 Play hosting Washington and Oregon
FIRST SERVE
The Utah men's tennis team is slated to start conference play this week with two home matches. The squad will host Washington this Friday, March 29, and Oregon on Sunday, March 31 at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center.
MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (3-11) vs Washington (6-9)
DATE|TIME: Friday, Mar. 29 | 3:00 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, UT | George S. Eccles Tennis Center
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UtahTennis
MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (3-11) vs Oregon (11-8)
DATE|TIME: Sunday, Mar. 31 | 1:00 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Salt Lake City, UT | George S. Eccles Tennis Center
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UtahTennis
LAST TIME OUT
The Utes recently closed out on the last match of non-conference play with a competition against the UNLV Rebels. The squad secured the doubles point early on with wins from Geronimo Espin Busleiman and Bruno Krenn at the No. 1 spot as well as from Jayson Blando and Michael Blando at the No. 2 spot. As the match moved to singles, the team saw wins on court six as Michael Blando took the upper hand in a 6-3, 6-4 match. Espin Busleiman pushed into a third set for a decisive 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win on court one, but the Utes fell short to the Rebels for final score 4-3.
HEAD COACH ROELAND BRATEANU
Utah Head Coach Roeland Brateanu, reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year, leads the Utes for his tenth season this spring. Under Brateanu's guidance, the Utah men claimed the Pac-12 Champions title as well as finished with a No. 1 ranking in the ITA Mountain Region last spring. Currently Brateanu boasts a 159-97 overall record.
THE UTES
The Utah roster is comprised of seven returning players. Geronimo Espin Busleiman returns to compete for the Utes at the No. 1 spot after an impressive 2023 spring season. Berk Bugarikj also returns after he boasted an ITA No. 1 ranking in doubles for the Mountain Region last season. Bruno Krenn also returns for the Utes, claiming his first victory at the No. 2 spot in the season opener and taking a notable victory at the No. 1 spot in Utah's home match against LMU.
Twins Jayson Blando and Michael Blando return for their third season with the squad. Geremia Rossi makes a comeback to the team for the third time this spring season and taking the No. 3 doubles spot with partner Dylan Applegate. This is Applegate's second season with the Utes.
Gianluca Citadini is the single newcomer for the Utah team. The Argentinian national reached as high as No. 139 on the ITF Junior World Rankings and is a Grade 1 National Tournament Champion in Argentina. Citadini claimed his first regular-season collegiate win in the No. 5 spot at Utah's season opener and recently secured a win at the No. 4 spot in the home match against LMU.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
The Washington Huskies are currently 6-10 in the season and 0-2 in Pac-12 play. The most recent matchups for the Huskies include Pepperdine and Boisie State, both resulting in 3-4 losses for Washington. The Utes have a 5-9 overall record against the Huskies, with the most recent match during the 2023 spring season. This match resulted in a 4-3 loss for Utah.
SCOUTING THE DUCKS The Oregon Ducks post an 11-8 record on the season and are 0-2 in conference play. The Ducks most recently competed against the Cal Bears and the UTSA Roadrunners, resulting in a 4-1 loss and a 4-0 loss for Oregon. The last time the Utes faced Oregon was during the 2023 spring season and ended in a 4-1 win for Utah. Oregon is currently ranked No. 62 in the ITA Rankings.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along during the 2024 season on social media (Twitter: @UtahTennis | Instagram: @UtahTennis | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahmenstennis).