ST. GEORGE, UT - Noe Khlif’s time in Utah just keeps getting better. After making a quarterfinal run in singles on Thursday, he’s now into the men’s doubles quarterfinals alongside Robert Slutsky.

The No. 38 seeds dispatched No. 17 seeds Martin Emmrich and Michael Loyd 11-5, 12-10 to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time.

Slutsky’s long reach at the kitchen line helped him effectively attack off of Khlif’s well-placed drives, and the two even saved a few game points to secure the match in 2 games.

Not bad for your first tournament together.

“It’s our first time playing together, so having good results the first time is nice,” shared Slutsky. “Definitely excited to make our first quarterfinal.”

The road doesn’t get any easier with the top-seeded Johns brothers up next for the lefty-righty duo, but Khlif says that he and Slutsky are ready for the challenge.

“I’m very excited to play against them,” he said. “They’re the standard in the sport right now, and it’s good to compete against the best to learn what you need to work on. We’re gonna go out there and give them a good battle."