Fuchs, Thayne lead BYU's success at UCSB Classic

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - In their returns to their native California, Zach Fuchs and Wally Thayne each had an undefeated day of competition on separate days at the UCSB Classic. The two-day tournament Friday and Saturday saw four BYU men’s tennis players test themselves against several nationally ranked programs.

“Wally played excellent tennis on Saturday. His serve was consistent and accurate. He beat two solid players and gets better with every match.  We are looking forward to joining the rest of the team and heading to Albuquerque for ITA Regionals," said head coach Dave Porter.

Players were divided into three different flights, with Flight A in both singles and doubles serving as the tournament’s top division.

Day One

Doubles

• Flight B: Fuchs/Vereau (BYU) def. Josserand/Gonzalez (SDSU) 8-7 (4)
• Flight A: Tripathi/Fradkin (UCLA) def. Thayne/Owen (BYU) 8-5

Singles

• Flight B: Zach Fuchs (BYU) def. Eugenio Gonzalez (SDSU) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (5)
• Flight A: Jeffrey Fradkin (UCLA) def. Wally Thayne (BYU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
• Flight B: Callaway Clark (SMU) def. Mateo Vereau (BYU) 7-6, 6-4
• Flight B: Georgio Samaha (New Mexico) def. Redd Owen (BYU) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

Los Altos, Calif. native Fuchs put on a show Friday with two wins over San Diego State. He first teamed up with Mateo Vereau for doubles, with the pair’s match going the distance to a first to seven tiebreaker. The Cougars ultimately prevailed with a three-point advantage.

Fuchs then played half of the SDSU doubles team in singles, once again prevailing in a match tiebreaker. Each player won a set with a one-break advantage in the first two frames before needing a tiebreaker to settle the third. Fuchs got the one break he needed to get past Gonzalez 7-5.

Redd Owen and Thayne both had back-and-forth singles matches of their own. After winning set one, Thayne was down 5-1 in set two before winning two-straight games, one of which included three aces in four points. The rally ultimately came up short in set two, and despite breaking Fradkin once in the third, the Newbury Park, Calif. junior was defeated in a match that took nearly 100 minutes.

Day Two

Doubles

• Flight A: Watt/Maxant (St. Mary’s) def. Thayne/Owen 8-7
• Flight B: Otico/Pantino (LMU) def. Fuchs/Vereau 8-5

Singles – Morning Session

• Flight A: Thayne def. Bastiaan Westergate (Cal Poly) 6-3, 6-2
• Flight B: Zach Pellouchoud (Cal Poly) def. Fuchs 6-1, 7-6
• Flight B: Pierre Boullenger (UCSB) def. Owen 6-4, 6-3
• Flight B: Ben Kyser (Cal Poly) def. Vereau 3-2 (retired)

Singles – Afternoon Session

• Flight A: Thayne def. Stefan Leustian (UCLA) 6-2, 6-3
• Flight B: Callaway Clark (SMU) def. Fuchs 6-2, 0-6, 6-0
• Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) def. Owen 6-3, 6-3

Thayne made quick work of his two Saturday singles matches, winning in straight sets while breaking his opponents numerous times. His ability on the return was punctuated by his match winner in the afternoon. Leustian’s serve went to Thayne’s backhand, which he hit down the line and out of Leustian’s reach to seal the win.

Fuchs and Vereau came up short in doubles after Vereau sustained a knee injury mid-match. After attempting to fight on, Vereau ultimately retired during the first set of his singles match.

The team’s next stop is Albuquerque, N.M. for the ITA Mountain Regional Championship. BYU is one of 20 teams in the Mountain Region, with the tournament serving as qualification for the ITA National Fall Championships.