Lopes drop home opener

Wednesday, February 24

Phoenix, Ariz.

12 p.m.

Grand Canyon

New Mexico

2/24/2021 4:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

New Mexico maintains lead after taking doubles point

By: Jerob Moon

The Grand Canyon men's tennis team dropped their long-awaited home opener on Wednesday afternoon, losing to New Mexico 5-2.

It was the team's first chance to play in front of socially distanced fans at the GCU Tennis Facility this season.

In doubles, New Mexico (2-1) kept their strong play this season taking the point for the third consecutive match. GCU's No. 1 pair Valentin Lang and Jiri Novak, after having their last match abandoned against Sacramento State, lost today against the Lobos 6-3. Justin Cvitanovic and Mariano Argote also lost 6-3 to give the early 1-0 lead to New Mexico. Freddie Grant and Loic Van Zeggelaar, who picked up their first win of the season on Saturday, were left with a 3-5 unfinished match.

In singles Argote and Novak each won their second straight matches at Nos. 3 and 4. Argote won 6-4, 6-3 while Novak won 6-1, 6-3 for his third singles win in the last four matches.

Meanwhile the Lopes (1-8) had two matches go to three sets that could have changed the outcome of the match. Lang at No. 1 lost his first set to UNM's Dominic West 7-6 but regrouped to win 6-1 in the second. West would control the third set winning easily 6-1.

While that match was occurring, GCU freshman Jonathan Da Silva was locked in a close match of his own at No. 6. After dropping the first set 0-6, Da Silva regrouped for a strong 6-1 win in the second. The third set was even tighter with New Mexico's Facundo Bermejo winning in tiebreakers 7-6.

New Mexico controlled the two remaining matches winning in straight sets at courts two and five.

With a postponement of this weekend's match at UNLV the Lopes will be in action again on March 9 at home against Utah State at 11 a.m.