The Arizona men’s tennis team competed in the ITA Regional Championships in Malibu, California, last weekend. The Regional Championships are known as one of the major Division I collegiate tournaments of the fall, so it was a great test to predict how the Wildcats will perform once Pac-12 Conference play comes in the spring.

The Wildcats were eliminated from the tournament on the third day, but were able to put up a strong fight throughout the competition.

Day one was a solid one for the UA as they went 4-2 with three players winning their way into the round of 32. Naoki Takeda and Harry Busby both received a bye in the round of 128 and played directly in the round of 64 where they both came out victorious.

The doubles team of Busby and Jason Jaruvang defeated Pepperdine’s Tom Hill and Stefan Menichella to advance to the round of 32. Elsewhere, the team of Takeda and Trent Botha advanced with a bye.

Jaruvang won his first match in singles, but lost his second match in the round of 64. Botha lost in the opening round in singles play to Oliver Sec from UCSB.

The Wildcats kept the momentum rolling into day two, where the team was able to compile four wins and one loss.

Takeda and Botha won two matches in the doubles tournament to advance to the quarterfinals on day three. Takeda and Busby won their lone singles match in the round of 32 to advance to the round of 16.

The Wildcats were not able to play their way into the final day of the tournament as they were eliminated in day three after a strong showing the first two days. Takeda lost in the round of 16 to San Diego’s Jordan Angus and Busby lost in the same round to UCLA’s Martin Redelicki.

Elsewhere in the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament, the tandem of Takeda and Botha were defeated by Pepperdine’s Petr Lamachkine and Lautaro Pane.

The Wildcats have no reason to hang their heads after putting up a solid performance overall during the three days of the tournament. The team saw players advance to the round of 16 in the singles tournament and also two players in the quarterfinals in the doubles tournament. There is a lot to be excited about with this team and they will look to improve each week to prepare for Pac-12 play in the spring.

The Wildcats’ next tournament, the Larry Easley Memorial Classic, will begin Oct. 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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