Lopes clinch WAC No. 2 seed with win in finale

Friday, April 12

Phoenix, Ariz.

11 a.m.

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

4/12/2024 6:39:00 PM | Men's Tennis

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GCU ends regular season by shutting out Seattle U at home

By: Josh Hauser

Grand Canyon capped off the regular season and conference play Friday with a 7-0 sweep of Seattle U on a day that GCU honored its three seniors.

Senior Wyatt Anderson, graduate Pablo Carretero Salvador and graduate Gerhard Sullwald were honored before the match. Sullwald and Carretero Salvador joined the squad for this season. Head coach Derek Siddiqui praised the graduate transfers for their instant impact, giving them credit for kick-starting the future of the program.

"Wyatt is the glue to our team," Siddiqui said. "He's a phenomenal teammate that always supports his teammates."

Anderson had quite the Senior day against Seattle U (4-12, 1-2 WAC) with a doubles win and a 6-4, 6-3 singles victory on Court 6.

GCU (8-12, 3-1 WAC) faced plenty of adversity throughout the match with temperatures rising over 90 degrees, as well as long, grueling sets on each court. In doubles, sophomores Alfred Almasi and Paolo Rosati took a thrilling 7-6 victory to sweep the doubles courts in the Lopes favor.

In singles, Sullwald, sophomore David Wekesa and Almasi on Courts 1-3 all needed a tiebreaker to win one of their two sets. Wekesa went on to win a 10-point tiebreaker in Set 3. Wekesa has won nine straight singles matches, with this one being even more impressive at the No. 2 position in the absence of Carretero Salvador.

The Lopes turn their attention to the WAC Tournament in Harlingen, Texas, on April 18-20. Siddiqui believes the team is finding its form at the right time and can get the job done next weekend. GCU has locked up the No. 2 seed in the WAC, earning a bye to Friday's semifinals.