Tucson, Ariz. – All good things must come to an end, but for three Arizona seniors, the end was a high note as the Wildcats defeated No. 53 Utah 4-1 on Friday.
The match marks the last time Dominic Bermudez, Kieren Thompson, and Mario Urquidi play in front of the Robson crowds, and the trio was recognized for their contributions between the doubles and singles matches.
“They're the ultimate leaders,” said head coach Tad Berkowitz. “For us going forward, we'll use them as an example for leadership. Kieren and Mario really set the tone their whole careers. They kept everyone going and kept everyone fighting. Everyone played for our seniors. They wanted them to finish their senior careers on a high note. The guys deserve it”
The Wildcats got off to a fast start, as Urquidi and Thompson won the first match of doubles 8-2 over Ben Tasevac and Devin Lane. After Matt Dunn and Trevor James fell to Matt Cowley and Alejandro Medinilla 8-6, the doubles point came down to court one. With a convincing finish, Sumeet Shinde and Naoki Takeda defeated Slim Hanza and Cedric Willems 8-5 to give Arizona the doubles point and the 1-0 lead.
In singles, Arizona extended its lead as Shinde and Urquidi won their matches in straight sets. Shinde topped Medinilla in 6-3, 6-1 while Urquidi defeated Willems 6-2, 6-4.
At the No. 6 position, Utah sophomore Cowley defeated Robin Chou 6-4, 6-3 for Utah's only point of the match.
With all eyes on court three, Naoki Takeda clinched the Arizona victory as he defeated Ben Tasevac 6-2, 6-3.
“This was huge,” Berkowitz said. “The guys have been through so much this year but they've continued to fight. They never give up and it showed today. Utah is a good team.”
The match concludes the regular season for the Wildcats, who will face off against Utah again in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament in California on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
For continued coverage of Arizona men's tennis, visit ArizonaWildcats.com, follow @ArizonaMTennis on Twitter and Instagram, and on Facebook at facebook.com/ArizonaMensTennis.
