ROME, Ga. – Seniors Paolo Bonaguro and Santiago Serrano pushed the No. 19 duo of Aleksa Pisaric and Lasse Poertner from Pepperdine but ultimately fell, 7-6 (8:6), 7-5, in the Round of 16 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Conference Masters Championships Friday at the Rome Tennis Center.
 
The Pepperdine duo entered the ITA Conference Masters Championships as the No. 1-seeded duo and advanced to the Round of 16 with a bye in the opening round.
 
Bonaguro and Serrano earned an early advantage in the back-and-forth battle, breaking Pepperdine's serve at 3-2 after Bonaguro hit a fast return that forced an error on the ensuing volley.
 
The Vaqueros took a 4-2 lead but after a Pepperdine break, the Waves took a 5-4 lead. With Bonaguro serving on game point, Serrano cut across the court and hit a backhand volley winner off the court to knot the set at 5-5.
 
The teams traded games to force a tiebreak in the first, but the Waves escaped with an 8:6 win in the tiebreaker to take the set.
 
Bonaguro and Serrano responded in the opening game of the second set. At game point, Serrano hit a dominant serve up the middle as Bonaguro once again hit a textbook volley winner.
 
The pair continued to trade games until the Vaqueros broke through at 3-2 to take a 4-2 advantage.
 
With the UTRGV duo leading 5-2 in the second set, the Waves rallied to win five consecutive games, including two at deuce, to take the set, 7-5, and secure the match.
 
Bonaguro and Serrano advanced to the Round of 16 after earning the program's first main-draw victory at the ITA Conference Masters Championships with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Aaron Dawson and Jy Hibbert from Southern Indiana on Thursday.
 
The Vaqueros' duo entered the ITA Conference Masters Championships after reaching the finals at the Southland Conference (SLC) Fall Championships and ultimately received the Southland's wildcard entry in the doubles draw.
 
Serrano earned the SLC automatic bid after winning the SLC Singles Championship, the program's first individual conference tournament championship in its 75-year history.
 
The Vaqueros will now turn their attention to the spring season.
 
UTRGV Friday Results
Doubles
Round of 16
#19 Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (Pepperdine) def. Paolo Bonaguro/Santiago Serrano (UTRGV), 7-6 (8:6), 7-5
 
Support UTRGV Vaqueros™ | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube