Portland men’s tennis lost to Pacific by a score of 4-2 in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams on March 21 at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center in Stockton, California.
The match marked the start of conference play for both schools. The Tigers took an early lead by winning all three doubles matches. Portland responded in singles, with Nikola Keremedchiev and Tannor Binder each securing straight-set victories at No. 1 and No. 5 singles, respectively. However, Pacific added another point at No. 3 singles and clinched the overall win with three-set victories at No. 2 and No. 6.
Portland head coach Aaron Gross said, “We played hard today. It was a good performance considering we’re missing one of our top guys. Several places I think we could have gotten over the hump, but a very tough road environment combined with being a little bit shorthanded just put it out of reach.” The Pilots were without redshirt junior Cade Fernando, who has been a key player at No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles this spring.
Stefan Skobelev was leading his third set at No. 4 singles when the match was decided and left unfinished.
Looking ahead, Portland will continue West Coast Conference action next week with home matches against San Diego on Friday and Santa Clara on Sunday.
