The University of Portland men’s tennis team earned a 4-3 victory against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on April 18 in West Coast Conference play at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center. Senior Nikola Keremedchiev led the Pilots with wins in both doubles and singles during his final home match, helping keep Portland’s hopes alive for qualification to the upcoming conference championships.
This result is significant as it boosts Portland’s chances of being selected for the six-team field at the West Coast Conference Championships scheduled for April 23-25. The outcome also provided a memorable conclusion to the regular season, particularly for senior players.
Gonzaga initially took an early lead by winning two out of three doubles matches. However, Portland regained momentum as Cade Fernando and Keremedchiev secured straight-set victories at No. 2 and No. 1 singles, respectively. The teams traded points through several closely contested matches before Tannor Binder clinched the decisive point with a three-set win over Diego Herrera at No. 5 singles.
“Today was a full circle moment as we lost the doubles point and then just battled and battled and battled to try and figure out a way to get four points on the board,” Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. “Until the last 10 minutes of the match, it didn’t seem like it was going to happen, but Tannor Binder came through huge. Nikola had a good win on Senior Day and Cade played probably the best match of the season. Stefan did a great job of turning around first set loss and then winning fairly decisively.
“I have a lot of respect for Gonzaga. We have pushed each other to get better and this was our last official WCC match against each other, although I’m sure we will continue to battle out of conference. It was the type of match that comes along maybe once a year that guys will be talking about at a reunion 10 years from now. I’m happy for them to have that memory together. As a coach I’m happy to see the resilience, strength and competitiveness they have built throughout the season come out today,” Gross said.
With this win, Portland finishes its regular season with an overall record of eight wins and thirteen losses (2-5 in conference play), while Gonzaga drops to seven wins and eleven losses (1-5 WCC). The team now awaits Sunday night’s announcement regarding tournament seeds and schedule.
