WACO – Redshirt junior Sam Whitehead earned a pair of singles wins to earn his way into the main draw of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Regional Thursday as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team opened the tournament with five wins. 
 
Action continues Friday starting with doubles at 9 a.m. Whitehead and freshman Loic Young Kriegel will also compete in singles matches as the main draw kicks off.  
 
In the qualifying round of 64, Whitehead and sophomore Ivo Isqueiro earned good singles wins to move on to the round of 32. Whitehead picked up a quick 6-1, 6-3 victory over Takuma Walter from Prairie View A&M. Isqueiro battled in a three-setter and came out with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Southland Conference (SLC) foe Christian Cuellar from Incarnate Word. 
 
Whitehead secured his spot in the main draw with a signature come-from-behind victory, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Ian Uraga from UT-Arlington. Isqueiro fell in a tough match, 7-5, 6-1, to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Nicolas Trebuchet. 
 
Sophomores Santiago Serrano and Paolo Bonaguro bounced back after opening-round losses to pick up solid wins in the consolation draw. Santiago battled for a 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) win over Kaj Quirjins from TCU. Bonaguro defeated Alexandre Chauvel Gobin from Incarnate Word after going up 3-1 before Gobin retired. 
 
UTRGV Thursday Results 
Singles 
Qualifying Round of 64
Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) def. Takuma Walter (PVAMU) 6-1, 6-3 
Xavier Calvelo (SMU) def. Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 
Merse Deli (ACU) def. Eduardo Menezes (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-0 
Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) def. Christian Cuellar (UIW) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 
Matheus Lima (ACU) def. Pablo Bonaguro (UTRGV) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
 
Qualifying Round of 32 
Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) def. Ian Uraga (UTA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 
Nicolas Trebuchet (AMCC) def. Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) 7-5, 6-1 
 
Consolation Draw
Gabriel Porras (Rice) def. Eduardo Menezes (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-2 
Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) def. Kaj Quirjins (TCU) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10:6) 
Pablo Bonaguro (UTRGV) def. Alexandre Chauvel Gobin (UIW) 3-1, ret. 
 
Friday Schedule 
Singles 
Main Draw Round of 64 
Loic Young Kriegel (UTRGV) vs. Luc Koenig (BU), 10:45 a.m. 
Sam Whitehead (UTRGV) vs. Zsombor Velcz (BU), 12:45 p.m. 
 
Doubles 
Paolo Bonaguro/Loic Young Kriegel (UTRGV) vs. Martin Delnido/Matheus Lima (ACU), 9 a.m.
Eduardo Menezes/Santiago Serrano (UTRGV) vs. Daniel Linkuns-Morozovs/Ethan Scribner (ACU), 9:45 a.m.
Sam Whitehead/Ivo Isqueiro (UTRGV) vs. Andres Medus/Meethre Barot (UTA), 10 a.m.

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