WACO – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros men's tennis sophomore Borna Devald advanced in the Singles Main Draw at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Regional Championships on Friday at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center. 
 
Devald was an automatic qualifier for the Main Draw Round of 64 as the highest ranked Vaqueros player and began his regionals singles campaign against Lamar's Elias Peter. After dropping the first set 2-6 to Peter, Devald showed his tenacity in a gritty 7-5 second set win to force a deciding third. The final frame was a back-and-forth affair with each player winning games behind his serve to 5-5. Devald closed the match strong to capture a 7-5 third set victory and advance to the Main Draw Round of 32. He'll face Rice's Haoyuan Huang at 12 p.m. 
 
The Doubles Round of 64 kicked off at 9 a.m. for all three UTRGV pairs. Devald and junior Emilien Burnel defeated UTSA's Garrett Skelly/Andrew Keene 8-4 to advance to the Round of 32. There, they battled Texas A&M's Stefan Storch/Matthis Ross in a competitive match but fell 8-6. 
 
Sophomores Karlo Krolo and Sam Whitehead played a tight match against Rice's Wes Barnett/Trinity Grear but came up short, 8-6. Seniors Chris Lawrance and Te Kani Williams dropped their match 8-3 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Ulysse Bertrand/Lucas Schurdevin. 
 
Krolo/Whitehead and Lawrance/Williams will continue doubles competition Saturday in the Consolation Round of 32. The sophomore duo faces Incarnate Word's Antoine Martin-Thiriat/Pietro Perego and the senior duo plays UT-Arlington's Daichi Akiyoshi/Ricardo Alban, both at 8 a.m. 
 
UTRGV Friday Results 
Doubles – Round of 64 
Emilien Burnel/Borna Devald (UTRGV) def. Garrett Skelly/Andrew Keene (UTSA) 8-4 
Wes Barnett/Trinity Grear (RU) def. Karlo Krolo/Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) 8-6 
Ulysse Bertrand/Lucas Schurdevin (TAMUCC) def. Chris Lawrance/Te Kani Williams (UTRGV) 8-3 
 
Doubles – Round of 32 
Stefan Storch/Matthis Ross (TAMU) def. Emilien Burnel/Borna Devald (UTRGV) 8-6 
 
Singles – Main Draw Round of 64 
Borna Devald (UTRGV) def. Elias Peter (LU) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 
 
Saturday Schedule 
Doubles – Consolation Draw 
Karlo Krolo/Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) vs. Antoine Martin-Thiriat/Pietro Perego (UIW), 8 a.m. 
Chris Lawrance/Te Kani Williams (UTRGV) vs. Daichi Akiyoshi/Ricardo Alban (UTA), 8 a.m. 
 
Singles – Main Draw Round of 32 
Borna Devald (UTRGV) vs. Haoyuan Huang (RU), 12 p.m. 

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