Thursday, November 6
San Diego, Calif.
All Day
Montana
vs
UCSD Hidden Duals
Bittner earns pair of upsets at ITA Conference Masters as Griz wrap fall season
11/10/2025 5:21:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Tom Bittner pulled off one of the biggest upsets – not only in Montana tennis history but Big Sky history – at the ITA Conference Masters Championships in San Diego on Friday. Then on Saturday, he did it again.
Bittner, a Grizzly senior and the reigning Big Sky MVP, took down the No. 1 player from the 2024 national champion and last year's runner-up TCU Horned Frogs in the first round of the consolation draw at the Conference Masters tourney.
He followed that up with a win over the defending Big East Conference Player of the Year in the quarterfinal before eventually running out of steam in the semi at the tournament that serves as the last chance for the top players from every D-I conference to play their way into the fall national championship.
Despite a loss in the main draw's opening round, Bittner's pair of wins in the consolation bracket of one of the nation's premiere tournaments will go down as some of the best results in program history.
"I'm just super proud of Tom's professionalism, for representing the University of Montana in such a classy way, and for putting such a high-level product on the tennis court," said head coach Jason Brown.
"His wins were well-earned and shows he belongs among the upper echelon of tennis players in the nation. We don't get a lot of chances in the Big Sky to play some of these big-name teams, so it was really cool to see him seize the opportunity when he got it. I think it helps cement his legacy as a Grizzly and Big Sky great."
Bittner opened the Conference Masters with a three-set loss in the main draw to Boise State's Avery Tallakson (7-5, 5-7, 6-2), a recent transfer to the Broncos from New Mexico where he was the Mountain West Tournament MVP for the Lobos in 2025.
He then rebounded in the consolation round, bouncing back to defeat TCU's Roger Pascual (4-6, 7-5, 6-3) in another three-setter. Pascual has been playing No. 1 singles for the Horned Frogs this season as TCU looks to return to the national title match for the third-straight year in the spring.
Bittner then took down Alejandro Gandini of DePaul – last season's Big East Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection – in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to advance to the semifinal.
In his third match in two days, he took a win in the first set, but eventually fell in the semifinal in three sets to Nikola Puntaric of Northern Illinois (3-6, 6-1, 6-4) to end his dream run in San Diego.
"He left it all out there. It took everything he had, and it was really nice to see him play his best in pressure situations. Especially against a guy who is top-700 in the world and plays for arguably the top team in the nation," added Brown.
Bittner's standout performance and a solid outing from the rest of the Grizzly squad at the concurrent-running Tritan Invitational at UC San Diego set the tone for the spring duals season ahead as Montana wrapped up its fall tournament slate in California.
Montana went a combined 11-18 in singles at the Triton Invite as Grizzly freshman Matt Upton and sophomore Johnny Wilkinson ran the table undefeated.
"Johnny played well and I was super impressed by Matt. It's unheard of for a freshman at our level to play that well, but I'm not surprised with his amount of dedication and hard work," said Brown.
"Everyone got lots and lots of tennis. In general, I thought it was a great way to wrap up the fall, and it gives us lots to work on. I think we underachieved a little this fall, and I'm taking the blame for that. But we're going to double down and get ready for the spring season. I think all the pieces are in place for us to continue to be a dominant team in the Big Sky and in our region, but we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to turn that dream into a reality."
Montana now sets its sights on becoming the first back-to-back Big Sky champions in program history with the start of the spring duals season, starting on Jan. 25, 2026, against Utah State at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula.
ITA Conference Masters
Nov 6-9
San Diego, Calif. – Barnes Tennis Center
R32 – Main Draw
Avery Tallakson (BSU) def. Tom Bittner (UM) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
R-16 – Consolation Draw
Tom Bittner (UM) def. Roger Pascual (TCU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Quarterfinals – Consolation Draw
Tom Bittner (UM) def. Alejandro Gandini (DU) 6-3, 6-4
Semifinals – Consolation Draw
Nikola Puntaric (NIU) def. Tom Bittner (UM) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Triton Invitational
Nov 6-9
La Jolla, Calif. – Northview Tennis Courts
Thursday Singles:
Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) def. Prathinav Chunduru (UC) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Yaron Guberman (UC) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-2, 6-2
Andrew Beceiro (UC) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-4, 6-3
Michael Fourticq (UC) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Oliver Worth (UC) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 6-4, 6-4
Duncan McCall (UM) def. Zachary Pellouchoud (UC) 7-5, 4-2 (RET. Injury)
Matt Upton (UM) def. Abhinav Chunduru (UC) 6-3, 6-4
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Robert Freedman (UC) 6-4, 7-5
Trevor Nguyen (UC) def. Dragos Bucurescu (UM) 8-3
Friday Singles:
Kaveh Taheri (UCD) def. Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-2, 6-2
Nadaul Cheam (UCD) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 6-4, 6-4
Matt Upton (UM) def. Jakub Volesky (NAU) 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(5)
Ivan Savkin (UCD) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Rithvik Katpelly (UCD) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Kurt Miller (UCD) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Joseph Townes (UM) def. Dylan Paterson (UCD) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Dragos Bucurescu (UM) def. Vidyuth Anand (UCD) 6-3, 6-1
Robert Freedman (UC) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-4, 6-2
Friday Doubles:
Adamson/Fourticq (UCSD) def. Bucurescu/Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-3
McCall/Wilkinson (UM) def. Beceiro/P. Chunduru (UCSD) 6-4
Tcherniak/Volesky (NAU) def. Tandberg/Upton (UM) 6-2
Saturday singles:
Axel Huysmans (UN) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 7-6(4), 6-3
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Gregoire Valente (UN) 6-2 (RET. Ill)
Matt Upton (UM) def. Remy Tregoures (UN) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Rayen Hermassi (UN) def. Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Nicolas Recoura (UN) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Sebastiano Cressi (UN) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Jakub Volesky (NAU) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Ivan Perisic (NAU) def. Dragos Bucurescu (UM) 7-6(4), 6-1
Daniels Tens (NAU) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-1, 6-1
Saturday Doubles:
Katpelly/Di Giulio (UCD) def. Upton/Tandberg (UM) 6-2
Savkin/Taheri (UCD) def. McCall/Wilkinson (UM) 6-2
Perisic/Tens (NAU) def. Bucurescu/Wiger-Nordas (UM) 7-6 (3)
Sunday Singles:
Nicolas Recoura (UN) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-3, 6-2
Sebastiano Cressi (UN) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-5
Eivind Tandberg (UM) def. Maxime Contet (UN) 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (5)
Remy Tregoures (UN) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-4, 6-2
Matt Upton (UM) def. Axel Huysmans (UN) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Rayen Hermassi (UN) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Key:
UM: University of Montana
BSU: Boise State
TCU: Texas Christian
DU: DePaul University
NIU: Northern Illinois
UC: University of California
UCD: UC Davis
NAU: Northern Arizona
UN: University of Nevada
UCSD: UC San Diego
Bittner, a Grizzly senior and the reigning Big Sky MVP, took down the No. 1 player from the 2024 national champion and last year's runner-up TCU Horned Frogs in the first round of the consolation draw at the Conference Masters tourney.
He followed that up with a win over the defending Big East Conference Player of the Year in the quarterfinal before eventually running out of steam in the semi at the tournament that serves as the last chance for the top players from every D-I conference to play their way into the fall national championship.
Despite a loss in the main draw's opening round, Bittner's pair of wins in the consolation bracket of one of the nation's premiere tournaments will go down as some of the best results in program history.
"I'm just super proud of Tom's professionalism, for representing the University of Montana in such a classy way, and for putting such a high-level product on the tennis court," said head coach Jason Brown.
"His wins were well-earned and shows he belongs among the upper echelon of tennis players in the nation. We don't get a lot of chances in the Big Sky to play some of these big-name teams, so it was really cool to see him seize the opportunity when he got it. I think it helps cement his legacy as a Grizzly and Big Sky great."
Bittner opened the Conference Masters with a three-set loss in the main draw to Boise State's Avery Tallakson (7-5, 5-7, 6-2), a recent transfer to the Broncos from New Mexico where he was the Mountain West Tournament MVP for the Lobos in 2025.
He then rebounded in the consolation round, bouncing back to defeat TCU's Roger Pascual (4-6, 7-5, 6-3) in another three-setter. Pascual has been playing No. 1 singles for the Horned Frogs this season as TCU looks to return to the national title match for the third-straight year in the spring.
Bittner then took down Alejandro Gandini of DePaul – last season's Big East Player of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Big East selection – in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) to advance to the semifinal.
In his third match in two days, he took a win in the first set, but eventually fell in the semifinal in three sets to Nikola Puntaric of Northern Illinois (3-6, 6-1, 6-4) to end his dream run in San Diego.
"He left it all out there. It took everything he had, and it was really nice to see him play his best in pressure situations. Especially against a guy who is top-700 in the world and plays for arguably the top team in the nation," added Brown.
Bittner's standout performance and a solid outing from the rest of the Grizzly squad at the concurrent-running Tritan Invitational at UC San Diego set the tone for the spring duals season ahead as Montana wrapped up its fall tournament slate in California.
Montana went a combined 11-18 in singles at the Triton Invite as Grizzly freshman Matt Upton and sophomore Johnny Wilkinson ran the table undefeated.
"Johnny played well and I was super impressed by Matt. It's unheard of for a freshman at our level to play that well, but I'm not surprised with his amount of dedication and hard work," said Brown.
"Everyone got lots and lots of tennis. In general, I thought it was a great way to wrap up the fall, and it gives us lots to work on. I think we underachieved a little this fall, and I'm taking the blame for that. But we're going to double down and get ready for the spring season. I think all the pieces are in place for us to continue to be a dominant team in the Big Sky and in our region, but we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to turn that dream into a reality."
Montana now sets its sights on becoming the first back-to-back Big Sky champions in program history with the start of the spring duals season, starting on Jan. 25, 2026, against Utah State at the Peak Racquet Club in Missoula.
ITA Conference Masters
Nov 6-9
San Diego, Calif. – Barnes Tennis Center
R32 – Main Draw
Avery Tallakson (BSU) def. Tom Bittner (UM) 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
R-16 – Consolation Draw
Tom Bittner (UM) def. Roger Pascual (TCU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
Quarterfinals – Consolation Draw
Tom Bittner (UM) def. Alejandro Gandini (DU) 6-3, 6-4
Semifinals – Consolation Draw
Nikola Puntaric (NIU) def. Tom Bittner (UM) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Triton Invitational
Nov 6-9
La Jolla, Calif. – Northview Tennis Courts
Thursday Singles:
Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) def. Prathinav Chunduru (UC) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Yaron Guberman (UC) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-2, 6-2
Andrew Beceiro (UC) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-4, 6-3
Michael Fourticq (UC) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Oliver Worth (UC) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 6-4, 6-4
Duncan McCall (UM) def. Zachary Pellouchoud (UC) 7-5, 4-2 (RET. Injury)
Matt Upton (UM) def. Abhinav Chunduru (UC) 6-3, 6-4
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Robert Freedman (UC) 6-4, 7-5
Trevor Nguyen (UC) def. Dragos Bucurescu (UM) 8-3
Friday Singles:
Kaveh Taheri (UCD) def. Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-2, 6-2
Nadaul Cheam (UCD) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 6-4, 6-4
Matt Upton (UM) def. Jakub Volesky (NAU) 7-6(3), 5-7, 7-6(5)
Ivan Savkin (UCD) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Rithvik Katpelly (UCD) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Kurt Miller (UCD) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Joseph Townes (UM) def. Dylan Paterson (UCD) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
Dragos Bucurescu (UM) def. Vidyuth Anand (UCD) 6-3, 6-1
Robert Freedman (UC) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-4, 6-2
Friday Doubles:
Adamson/Fourticq (UCSD) def. Bucurescu/Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-3
McCall/Wilkinson (UM) def. Beceiro/P. Chunduru (UCSD) 6-4
Tcherniak/Volesky (NAU) def. Tandberg/Upton (UM) 6-2
Saturday singles:
Axel Huysmans (UN) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 7-6(4), 6-3
Johnny Wilkinson (UM) def. Gregoire Valente (UN) 6-2 (RET. Ill)
Matt Upton (UM) def. Remy Tregoures (UN) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Rayen Hermassi (UN) def. Baltazar Wiger-Nordas (UM) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Nicolas Recoura (UN) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
Sebastiano Cressi (UN) def. Eivind Tandberg (UM) 7-5, 6-3
Jakub Volesky (NAU) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Ivan Perisic (NAU) def. Dragos Bucurescu (UM) 7-6(4), 6-1
Daniels Tens (NAU) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-1, 6-1
Saturday Doubles:
Katpelly/Di Giulio (UCD) def. Upton/Tandberg (UM) 6-2
Savkin/Taheri (UCD) def. McCall/Wilkinson (UM) 6-2
Perisic/Tens (NAU) def. Bucurescu/Wiger-Nordas (UM) 7-6 (3)
Sunday Singles:
Nicolas Recoura (UN) def. Jake Watkins (UM) 6-3, 6-2
Sebastiano Cressi (UN) def. Joseph Townes (UM) 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-5
Eivind Tandberg (UM) def. Maxime Contet (UN) 6-2, 6-7 (9-11), 7-6 (5)
Remy Tregoures (UN) def. Moritz Lesjak (UM) 6-4, 6-2
Matt Upton (UM) def. Axel Huysmans (UN) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Rayen Hermassi (UN) def. Duncan McCall (UM) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Key:
UM: University of Montana
BSU: Boise State
TCU: Texas Christian
DU: DePaul University
NIU: Northern Illinois
UC: University of California
UCD: UC Davis
NAU: Northern Arizona
UN: University of Nevada
UCSD: UC San Diego
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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