Portland men’s tennis secured a 6-1 victory over Montana State on Sunday at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center. The Pilots now have a 4-5 record this season and have won their last two matches, while Montana State moves to 3-6.
The match began with Portland taking the doubles point. Stefan Skobelev and Lucas Kimelman won their match 6-0 against Yassin Elaroussy and David Ismanescu. Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando clinched the point for Portland with a 6-1 win over Oumar Diallo and Andre Stewart.
In singles play, Cade Fernando extended Portland’s lead by defeating Oumar Diallo 6-4, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Montana State earned its only point when Yassin Elaroussy beat Nikola Keremedchiev at No. 1 singles. Tom Garcia regained momentum for Portland by winning two tiebreak sets against Andre Stewart at No. 2 singles.
The lower half of the lineup helped secure the overall win for Portland. Stefan Skobelev provided the clinching point with a straight-set victory over David Ismanescu, finishing 7-5, 6-4. Tannor Binder and freshman Gian Manhas also won their matches in straight sets.
“We played some amazing doubles today, which I thought was going to carry us right through the first round of singles,” said Portland head coach Aaron Gross. “But the Bobcats competed really hard, and it turned into a four-and-a-half-hour match. We had a lot of sticky situations we had to work through, and it was nice to see us come through. I’d like our level to be a little bit higher, but our competitiveness was good.”
Portland will compete next week at the Golden State Invite hosted by UC Davis and Sacramento State. They are scheduled to play UC Davis on Friday morning followed by Nevada in the afternoon before facing New Mexico State on Saturday.
Fans can purchase tickets for upcoming home events through the official website or via the Portland Pilots App.
Supporters interested in contributing to University of Portland Athletics can make donations online; all gifts are tax deductible and support student-athletes’ academic and athletic pursuits.
For updates on University of Portland sports programs, fans can visit the athletics website or follow team accounts on social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
