Denver Men’s Tennis advances Three Players to ITA Mountain Regional Round of 16
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Denver men’s tennis team secured three victories in singles play at the 2025 ITA Mountain Regional Championships on Friday, propelling Raffaello Papajcik, samuel Rovai, and Theo Coats into Saturday’s round of 16. The tournament, hosted in salt Lake City, serves as a crucial early-season test for regional programs, determining seeding and momentum heading into the spring dual-match schedule.
Denver’s success comes after a challenging doubles showing where Mishiro/Rovai fell to New Mexico’s Ciobotaru/Dabas 8-6. The singles results highlighted the Pioneers’ depth, with Papajcik, the No. 3 seed,defeating Xavier Calvelo of Utah State 6-4,6-3. Rovai, seeded tenth, overcame Andre Stewart from Montana State with a 6-4, 6-2 victory, while Coats upset eighth-seeded Roman Venger of Utah State, also in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Ryoma Mishiro was defeated by BYU’s Tygen Goldammer 0-6, 6-4, 0-6.
Saturday’s schedule features Papajcik facing No. 9 seed Dario Ciobotaru of New Mexico. Rovai will compete against Otto Schreiner of BYU, and coats will challenge Phillip Deaton from Air Force. The singles round of 16 and doubles quarterfinals are set to begin at 9 a.m. PT/10 a.m. MT. Additional matches may be added.
