Seniors sent off with comeback win

Saturday, April 24

Phoenix, Ariz.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Northern Arizona

Photo by: Elizabeth Tinajero

4/24/2021 4:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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Lopes drop doubles but beat NAU in 5 singles matches

By: Jerob Moon

The Grand Canyon men's tennis team won its final match of the regular season Saturday with a 5-2 home win against Northern Arizona.

Before the match, seniors Valentin Lang, Justin Cvitanovic and Freddie Grant were honored. Against NAU, the Lopes (6-12) dropped the doubles point but regrouped to take five of six singles matches for their fifth win in a row.

In doubles, Lang and freshman Jiri Novak had their eight-match win streak snapped with a 6-4 loss to the Lumberjacks' Dominik Buzonics and Alex Groves. NAU (6-8) later clinched the doubles point with another 6-4 win, this time over Grant and freshman Loic Van Zeggelaar at No. 3. Cvitanovic and Argote, at No. 2 doubles, were trailing 5-3 when their match was left unfinished.

The Lopes began their comeback in singles with first-set wins on every court. Argote was the first to finish for GCU, tying the match 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-1 win at Court 2. Lang, the senior captain, gave GCU the lead for good with a dominating 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 1, extending his winning streak to six matches.

Leading 2-1, Grant extended the GCU lead with a straight-set win at No. 6, but NAU countered with a three-set win over GCU freshman Jonathan Da Silva at No. 4. Poetically, it was Cvitanovic that clinched the win for the Lopes at No. 3 with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 win.

The Lopes wrapped up the match with a win by Novak at No. 5, where he prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).

GCU will now prepare for the WAC Tournament next week in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The top-seeded Lopes will face No. 4 seed Chicago State in the semifinals on May 1.