MALIBU, Calif.--- The Wildcats put together a spectacular afternoon on day two of the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Malibu, Calif. as Arizona went on a combined 4-1 on the day, while Naoki Takeda and Harry Busby punched their tickets to the round of 16 and the duo of Trent Botha and Takeda strung together two consecutive wins to reach the doubles quarterfinals on Friday.
“We went up against tougher competition today and the guys raised their level,” said head coach Tad Berkowitz. “I was impressed with their focus and ability to lock it in with their intensity on the court.”
Botha and Takeda's magical run began Friday morning, as they squeaked out a big 8-6 victory over UCSB's Anders Holm and Cody Rakela to earn a spot in the round of 16. However, the tandem wasn't done, as they did it again, this time pulling off an 8-6 win over USC's Nicholas Crystal and Jake DeVine in the round of 16.
Botha and Takeda will try and advance to the semifinals and earn their third consecutive win of the tournament, as they'll take on Pepperdine's Lautaro Pane and Petr Iamachkine in quarterfinal action tomorrow at 9 am PT.
Harry Busby and Jason Jaruvang saw their doubles run come to an end, after dropping a hard-fought 8-6 result to San Diego State's Marko Goles Babic and Milen Ianakiev in the round of 32.
Despite the doubles defeat, Busby kept his perfect singles tournament alive in the round of 32, as he grinded out a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over UCSB's Nathan Eshmade.
No. 37 Takeda once again proved his worth as one college tennis' elite performers, as he easily handled UCSB's Nicolas Moreno de Albora in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. Takeda and Busby both find themselves through to the round of 16.
The Cats will be back on the courts tomorrow to continue ITA Southwest Regional action, beginning with doubles play at 9 am.
DAY TWO RESULTS
Doubles - Round of 32
Marko Goles Babic/Milen Ianakiev (San Diego State) def. Harry Busby/Jason Jaruvang (Arizona), 8-6
Trent Botha/Naoki Takeda (Arizona) def. Anders Holm/Cody Rakela (UCSB), 8-6
Doubles - Round of 16
Trent Botha/Naoki Takeda (Arizona) def. Nicholas Crystal/Jake DeVine (USC), 8-6
Singles - Round of 32
Naoki Takeda (Arizona) def. Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (UCSB), 6-2, 6-3
Harry Busby (Arizona) def. Nathan Eshmade (UCSB), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
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