PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland men's tennis moved to 7-0 in home matches this year following Thursday's 5-2 victory over the San Francisco at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center. The Pilots improve to 7-5 overall and 2-1 in West Coast Conference play, while the Dons fall to 5-10 and 0-4 in league.

Portland overcame a slow start in doubles to grab the early lead. Oscar Brown and Stefan Skobelev won 6-2 at No. 3 doubles, but the Dons won at the No. 1 position. Nicolas Ocana and Nikola Keremedchiev overcame a 4-1 deficit at No. 2 to secure the point with a 7-5 win against Asaf Friedler and Roman Lafond.

The Pilots took care of business at the top of the singles lineup to secure the overall match. During the first wave of singles, Ocana cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 win against Paul Theate and Brown won a pair of tiebreakers to take out Moritz Hoffman. Luka Vukovic provided the clinching point with a come-from-behind three-set win against Giovanni Branchetti in a third set tiebreaker.

Keremedchiev raced to a 6-3, 6-3 win against Davide Cortimiglia at No. 5 singles and then the Dons picked up wins at No. 4 and No. 6 positions to conclude the scoring.

"We competed well today," Portland head coach Aaron Gross said. "I wish overall we would've kept our level higher. Oscar had a very nice win and Luka battled from behind to get through, but we'll need to play better if we are going to get through some of these upcoming matches."

The Pilots will be back in action on Saturday to host the Saint Mary's Gaels at 10 a.m.

Portland 5, San Francisco 2
Portland, Ore. (Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center)
March 28, 2024

Singles
1. Oscar Brown (POR) def. Moritz Hoffman (USF) 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2)
2. Nicolas Ocana (POR) def. Paul Theate (USF) 6-0, 6-3
3. Luka Vukovic (POR) def. Giovanni Branchetti (USF) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
4. Asaf Friedler (USF) def. Maxim Groysman (POR) 1-6, 6-1, 10-7
5. Nikola Keremedchiev (POR) def. Davide Cortimiglia (USF) 6-3, 6-3
6. Roman Lafond (USF) def. Fabian Gusic (POR) 7-5, 6-3

Doubles
1. Branchetti/Cortimiglia (USF) def. Vukovic/Nikolas Tvedt (POR) 6-4
2. Ocana/Keremedchiev (POR) def. Friedler/Lafond (USF) 7-5
3. Brown/Stefan Skobelev (POR) def. Hoffman/Theate (USF) 6-2

Match Notes:
San Francisco 5-10, 0-4 WCC
Portland 7-5, 2-1 WCC
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,1,3,4,5,6)
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