SEATTLE, Wash. – The Portland men's tennis team battled but came up short in a 4-2 loss to the No. 57 Washington Huskies Friday at Nordstrom Tennis Center.

The Huskies secured the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions to grab the early lead.

A win at No. 2 singles doubled Washington's lead, but the Pilots responded with a pair of wins at the bottom of the lineup. Sophomore Nikola Keremedchiev knocked off Brett Pearson 6-1, 6-4 at No. 5 singles and then freshman Stefan Skobelev came back for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jim Hendrikx at No. 6.

The Huskies clinched with three set wins at the No. 4 and No. 3 positions. Portland No. 1 Oscar Brown was leading 4-1 in the third set when the overall match was clinched.

"Disappointing result today," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "I think it was one that got away that I wish we could have back. We didn't play well in doubles. That put quite a bit more pressure on us in singles and I think we responded pretty well, but there's just not a lot of margin for error on the road against a good team."

The Pilots will continue a busy weekend with a pair of home matches. Portland hosts Eastern Washington on Saturday at 1 p.m. and then Montana State on Sunday at 10 a.m.

#57 Washington 4, Portland 2
Seattle, Wash. (Nordstrom Tennis Center)
February 23, 2024

Singles
1. Cesar Bouchelaghem (UW) vs. Oscar Brown (UP) – 4-6, 7-6 (5), 1-4, DNF
2. Dzianis Zharyn (UW) def. Nicolas Ocana (UP) – 6-2, 6-2
3. Han-Chih Lin (UW) def. Luka Vukovic (UP) – 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Nedim Suko (UW) def. Maxim Groysman (UP) – 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
5. Nikola Keremedchiev (UP) def. Brett Pearson (UW) – 6-1, 6-4
6. Stefan Skobelev (UP) def. Jim Hendrikx (UW) – 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 6, 4, 3
 
Doubles
1. (#13) Zharyn/Bouchelaghem (UW) vs. Vukovic/Tvedt (UP) – 5-6, DNF
2. Suko/Pearson (UW) def. Brown/Skobelev (UP) – 6-3
3. Hendrikx/Lin (UW) def. Ocana/Groysman (UP) – 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3

Match Notes:
Portland 2-2
Washington 5-4 
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