Junior Evan Urbina will play in singles and doubles Saturday.

Brigham Young University Team Page

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 11, 2009) – It was another day of exciting tennis at the Utah Fall Tennis Classic Friday. The BYU men’s team sent three players into the singles semifinals and two pairs into the doubles semifinals.

Junior Evan Urbina clinched his place in the final four with a tough three-set win over teammate Spencer Smith. Theirs was one of three all-Cougar match ups of the day. Michael Eraso overcame junior Daniel Hwang in two sets and earned the right to play Thomas Shubert in the quarterfinals.

The epic match lasted more than two and a half hours as the two Cougars split sets, Shubert taking the first and Eraso the second. Things went back and forth in the third eventually leading to a tiebreak. Shubert ultimately defeated Eraso and will compete in the semifinals Saturday.

Lone senior Cassidy Mears showed his leadership on the court with two commanding wins to join Urbina and Shubert in the semis. Mears came back after being down 3-1 in the first set to earn the victory over Utah’s Benito Suriano. He will face Shubert for a chance to advance to the finals.

Tyler Loong rounds out the remaining competition. The 18 year-old high school senior beat two local juniors and was the beneficiary of an injury default by BYU’s Ricardo Campos on his road to the final four. His toughest challenge of the tournament will come Saturday as he faces Urbina.

In doubles play, Mears and Urbina kept on rolling, winning two matches to book a spot in the finals. Alex Bothe and Erik Sheldon from Boise State earned a place in the semifinals with their win over teammates Filipp Pogostkin and Scott Sears. Also in the semifinals are partners Shubert and Georgy Batrakov. Because of time constraints, that semifinal match will be played Saturday along with the scheduled final.

Play resumes at 9 a.m. at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts and the championship singles match begins at 12 p.m. The doubles final will follow. The courts are located south of the soccer stadium with an entrance on the east side.

Admission is free and all matches are open to the public. All BYU “Y Lot” parking lots are available for parking all day Saturday.

The United States Tennis Association sanctions this tournament. Any participating BYU players are performing as individuals and do not represent the school. Results will not impact Intercollegiate Tennis Association or NCAA rankings.