CEDAR CITY, Utah—A long week for the Idaho men's tennis team got off to a rocky start on Tuesday. The Vandals fell 4-3 at Southern Utah in the first of five road matches this week.

The loss for Idaho is the first in Big Sky play. The Vandals are now 7-4 overall and 3-1 in the conference.

Idaho, due to complications with travel, played the day short-handed. The Vandals were not able to field a doubles pair at No. 3. Southern Utah got the advantage winning the point with a close 7-5 (10-8) win at No. 2, opening the day with a 1-0 lead.

Idaho quickly bounced back in singles play. Felipe Fonseca was perfect in the No. 2 position. He did not drop a single game, taking the match 6-0, 6-0. Freshman Esteban Santibanez finished up with a 6-4, 6-0 win in No. 4 play. Mark Kovacs handed Idaho a 3-1 advantage with his three-set win at the No. 1 spot.

Southern Utah claimed the next three matches to complete the comeback. The Thunderbirds got tight wins at No. 3 and No. 5. The Vandals did not compete at No. 6, closing out the match.

Idaho continues the current marathon road trip on Tuesday. The Vandals will take on Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz.

Singles

1. Kovacs, Mark (UI) def. TORDOFF, Conor (SUU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

2. Fonseca, Felipe (UI) def. ALBA, Micah (SUU) 6-0, 6-0

3. FEIGIN, Guy (SUU) def. Coutinho,Lucas (UI) 7-6, 6-4

4. Santibanez, Estaban (UI) def. PALACIO, Sergio (SUU) 6-4, 6-0

5. RUPA, Cedric (SUU) def. Shin, Peter (UI) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8)

6. HANSEL, Tristin (SUU) def. No player (UI), by forfeit

Doubles

1. Kovacs, Mark/Fonseca, Felipe (UI) def. PALACIO, Sergio/RUPA, Cedric (SUU) 6-1

2. TORDOFF, Conor/FEIGIN, Guy (SUU) def. Coutinho,Lucas/Santibanez, Estaban (UI) 7-5 (10-8)

3. ALBA, Micah/HANSEL, Tristin (SUU) def. No player/No player (UI), by forfeit