Talent influx joins key returnees for next step

All eyes turned to what Grand Canyon men's tennis was rebuilding last season, and that included the recruits' eyes.

After their first nine-win season since 2019 and pushing UT Arlington to within the final match's third set for the WAC Tournament championship, the Lopes return even stronger as seven newcomers fortify a program that carries conference title goals and beyond.

Last season, GCU third-year head coach Derek Siddiqui's team tripled the previous season's win total and finished on a 6-2 stretch with a seven-man roster.

Three returnees, two of which won in the WAC Tournament championship, combine with the talent influx for competitive 10-man training heading into the spring season's opening weekend at GCU Tennis Facility, where the Lopes face New Mexico State at 1 p.m. Friday and LMU at 1 p.m. Sunday.

"These guys understand that competitiveness, but we're also very supportive of each other," Siddiqui said. "Bringing that competitive nature in practices has been awesome for our team.

"We're thankful that those seven guys chose GCU when they had many options. They believe in what we're trying to do here and the expectations we have. We're trying to be in the top 50 here in the next couple years."

The new-look Lopes lineup starts with two new faces at the top of the singles order.

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Nikita Volonski, a 6-foot sophomore from Sydney, Australia, ascended in GCU workouts to the No. 1 singles slot after having fall success in his first U.S. action. In October, Volonski was the WAC Tennis Invitational singles runner-up and reached the round of 32 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Southwest Regional.

"He's definitely improved a lot with trusting to be a little bit more aggressive when he needs to be," Siddiqui said. "He's also improved a lot in doubles, so he's going to be a huge asset there."

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Another sophomore, 6-foot-3 Frenchman Brice Patoux, transferred from Ole Miss after going 6-4 for the SEC program in Court 5 singles. Patoux was a spring arrival in Oxford, Mississippi, after a 13-10 juniors record in ITF Grade 5 tournaments.

"Credit to him, Brice has made a lot of changes in his game technically, which is not easy to do," Siddiqui said. "He has been great about being willing to make changes and showing improvement."

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Junior David Wekesa, a 6-5 German, returns after ending last season on an 11-match winning streak. He went 10-2 on Court 2 and was named to the All-WAC first team for singles and second team for doubles. His clutch victory at the WAC Tournament championship helped the Lopes rally to a 3-3 tie.

"I don't care what position you play, 11 wins in a row is pretty good," Siddiqui said. "He is going to bring experience because he knows what to do and what to expect. He's trying to play a certain way, and he's taken leaps there."

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Siddiqui stayed international with the roster retooling, adding powerful 6-3 graduate student Matteo Lugari of Rome, Italy, for the Lopes' No. 4 singles spot. Lugari attended Lumsa Universita in Rome before moving to GCU to join fall classes and training.

"Matteo is older, but this is his first U.S. college experience," Siddiqui said. "We'll see what he's got when we start playing. He's got a lot of ability to play good tennis, but we'll see what he will bring to the table."

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From Athens at No. 5 singles, freshman Andreas Loizas brings the credential of previously being ranked as Greece's top juniors player. Loizas, a 5-foot-7 dynamo, signed with GCU in December 2023 and is 18 years old.

"Andreas is going to be a pretty tough out at 5," Siddiqui said. "Talk about a guy who fits our culture. He's a hard worker, he's a great teammate and he's a really good tennis player. He couldn't fit the GCU mold any better."

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GCU senior Jonathan Da Silva won championship point when the Lopes claimed their last WAC title in 2021. After playing at No. 1 singles in 2023, the Frenchman fills out a lineup capable of giving him another chance to be a championship contributor.

"He's been competing really well in practice and brings a lot of experience to the lineup," Siddiqui said.

"I'm counting on that experience this year, especially at No. 3 doubles with Paolo (Rosati, a senior) and Jonny."

Last season, GCU lost 4-3 to WAC champion UT Arlington in the regular season and the WAC Tournament championship match. The opportunity to push the Lopes over the top and seek national status was attractive to the seven newcomers, along with Phoenix's perpetual sunshine.

"We're still trying to get the culture in the right direction for where we want it to go," Siddiqui said. "We only want to recruit guys who want to be professional tennis players or have a huge passion for tennis. It's trending that way, which is awesome.

"If you want to go to a place that is looking to achieve something that they've never done before and will take your game seriously and work on development, this is the place. You can do outdoor all year, so that's a huge sell."

That weather allows the Lopes to play 12 of their first 14 spring dual matches at home and 16 of 22 overall. It all builds up to the four-team WAC Tournament on April 17-19 at reloaded UT Arlington. Tourney seeding will be decided by ITA rankings without a conference schedule this year.

"We're trying to schedule where we could leap-frog in the rankings," Siddiqui said. "Everyone knows where we are at and knows we're pretty good, so there are no surprises."

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Players Mentioned

Jonathan Da Silva

Andreas Loizas

Matteo Lugari

Brice Patoux

Nikita Volonski

David Wekesa

Grand Canyon University Athletics