Box Score LAS CRUCES, N.M. – University of Denver women's tennis players Andrea Burguete Beltran and Marley Lambert dropped two highly-contested finals at the 2024 ITA Mountain Regional Championships, hosted by New Mexico State, on Tuesday.
 
The Denver senior and junior fell in a heartbreaking doubles final, taking the first set before dropping the second set in a tiebreak and losing the 10-point match tiebreak after saving two match points.
 
Burguete Beltran then had just an hour to regroup before the singles final, battling back to force a third set after dropping the opener but falling in the final frame.
 
In the doubles final, Burguete Beltran/Lambert claimed the first set, 6-3, claiming the first break in the fifth game and then breaking once more in the final game. The second set started with the Denver duo earning a chance to break at deuce in their first return game, though CU held for 1-1 before earning their first break lead against DU's serve. The Pioneers broke immediately back for 2-2 in what would be the final break of the match.
 
Burguete Beltran/Lambert started the second-set tiebreak with a mini break for 2-0 but found themselves back on serve at the changeover. The teams traded mini breaks again before Colorado earned their first set point and converted for 7-5.
 
The 10-point match tiebreak went back and forth with both teams holding mini break leads throughout. At both changeovers, the score was level before CU won three straight points for triple match point at 9-6. The Pioneers fended off the first two to get back on serve but double faulted at 8-9 to give the win to CU.
 
Burguete Beltran/Lambert became the fifth DU women's team to appear in an ITA Regional doubles final and the second in a row after Burguete Beltran and then-graduate student Britt Pursell claimed the title in 2023.
 
In the singles final, Burguete Beltran found herself in a battle for service holds with the returners breaking several times each in both sets. The DU senior set the tone with a break in the very first game, the first of three in a row against the server. She stretched her lead to 3-1 before Boise State's Zdena Safarova rattled off five straight games to take the opener.
 
The second set followed a similar pattern to the first with breaks in the first three games before Burguete Beltran was able to get the lead and hold it for a 6-3 win to force a decisive set. A couple early breaks in Safarova's favor early put momentum on the Boise State player's side and proved to be enough to take the title.
 
Burguete Beltran made it three of the last four seasons with a DU women's player in the ITA Regional singles final (excluding the 2020 season when the tournament was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Despite Tuesday's results, Burguete Beltran has still qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship by advancing to the singles final. The tournament is set for November 19-24 and will be hosted by Baylor University. She will now await official NCAA selections on November 11, and the singles draw is expected to be announced on November 16.
 
The University of Denver women's tennis team will next play when it hosts the team's annual fall tournament, the Colorado Cup, on November 8-10 at Denver Tennis Park.
 
TUESDAY'S DOUBLES RESULTS
Final: Bubalo/Nelson (Colorado) def. [6] Burguete Beltran/Lambert: 3-6 7-6(5) [10-8]
 
TUESDAY'S SINGLES RESULTS
Final: [9] Zdena Safarova (Boise State) def. [4] Andrea Burguete Beltran: 6-3 3-6 6-1
 
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