At the ITA Regional in Provo, Utah from Sept. 21 to 25, graduate students Matt Summers (Maidstone, U.K.) and James Davis (Barnstaple, England) defeated Montana State’s Matej Panik and Daan Van Dijk (6-3, 3-6 [10-3]) to take the final and secure spots at the upcoming ITA Fall National Championships this November.

With a first-round bye, the doubles partners did not drop a set in the four rounds leading up to the final, deftly putting away their opponents without faltering. Though they lost the second set 3-6 in the final, the duo quickly recovered, earning a ticket to San Diego, CA—the championship locale—in a resounding 10-3 tiebreak.

The other DU doubles duos, graduate Mattia Ros (Latisana, Italy) and sophomore Nicolas Herrero Cuesta (Segovia, Spain), and sophomore Peter Sallay (Budapest, Hungary) and senior Daniel Krulig (Miami, FL) were both defeated in the third round (8-4 and 8-7 [7], respectively).

While Summers fell in the Round of 16 in the singles draw (6-1, 7-6 [6]), Davis made it to the final where he fell to the No. 2 Franco Capalbo of Utah (6-2, 6-4), a mere hour after completing the doubles draw. Davis will still appear in the main singles draw as a finalist.

Ros and Sallay both made it to the second round in the singles main draw, losing to Utah’s Mathias Gavelin and Idaho’s Bruno Cassino, respectively (6-4, 7-5 and 6-4, 6-3). Cuesta, unfortunately, stood in the way of Davis’ singles tear in the third round, forcing the finalist to defeat his teammate in straight sets (6-1, 6-4). Krulig also lost in the third round to New Mexico State’s Louis Menard despite winning the first set (2-6, 6-2, 6-2).

Before the November finals, DU’s men’s tennis team is slated to compete at the San Diego, CA Invite from Oct. 1 to 3 and at the ITA All-American in Tulsa, OK from Oct. 4 to 10.