BYU men's tennis tops Utah to take the 2011-12 Deseret First Duel

SALT LAKE CITY — The No. 52 BYU men’s tennis team topped Utah, 5-2, on Wednesday at Eccles Tennis Center to clinch the overall 2011-12 Deseret First Duel title once more for the Cougars.

"Clinching the Deseret First Duel was icing on the cake," BYU coach Brad Pearce said. "It's always great to be in a position to do something for all our teams. That was exciting for us."

With three points on the line, the win puts BYU ahead of Utah 28-13. This year marks the Cougars third consecutive title.

The BYU men's tennis team (4-5) kicked off the match winning the doubles point. Junior Spencer Smith and freshman Francis Sargeant made quick of their Court 2 opponent, topping Dmytro Mamedov and Ace Matias, 8-1. The BYU duo is on a five-game win streak with a 14-6 overall record.

The Utes were quick to answer with a doubles win of their own on Court 3. Devin Lane and Slim Hamza defeated BYU’s freshman Keaton Cullimore and senior Michael Eraso, 8-4.

With the doubles point at stake, senior Georgy Batrakov and sophomore Patrick Kawka pulled through at the No. 1 position, routing Benito Suriano and Alejandro Medinilla, 8-0.

"We had prepared and worked hard for this match," Pearce said. "I was especially pleased to win the doubles point so decisively with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 position. I think it gave us a good start."

In singles, Lane brought the score to 1-1 after topping Eraso on Court 6, 6-3, 6-2.

Singles wins by Sargeant and No. 106 Kawka put the Cougars in position to take the match before No. 67 Cullimore secured the win on Court 4, defeating Matias, 6-2, 7-5.

No. 43 Batrakov, playing at the No. 1 position, dropped his first set to Suriano before holding him to only three games in the next two sets, topping Suriano, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Utah’s second point came on Court 2 where Smith dropped a close 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 decision to Mamedov.

"It was a great team effort tonight," Pearce said. "I was really thrilled, especially with the way our freshmen stepped up. We've really worked hard, adding additional morning practices. It wil be a good lesson for the team to see that hard work does pay off."

The Deseret First Duel, established in 2007, was created as a celebration of one of the nation’s oldest and most spirited college rivalries.