HARLINGEN, Texas– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (12-7) punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament after fending off No. 2 Grand Canyon in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament Championships on Saturday at the HEB Tennis Center. The 4-3 victory marks the Mavericks' second consecutive season as regular season and tournament champs as they went 6-0 against conference opponents.
 
The Mavericks came out strong and finished off two doubles matches to secure the early lead, which proved crucial in singles play.
 
First off was Joan Torres Espinosa and Meethre Barot as they took the first doubles match on Court 2. The pair dominated at the net, allowing them a solid lead after going up 2-1. They did not drop another game against Alfred Almasi and Pablo Salvador, closing out the set 6-1.
 
With the Mavs down on Court 1, Dante Teramo and Andres Medus fought to clinch the early lead on Court 3 before the Lopes added a doubles win. An early break of serve helped the two go up 3-1 over Wyatt Anderson and Jonathan Da Silva as they cruised through the rest of the set. They allowed the Lopes one more game before they broke serve to close out 6-2. The victory gives them their fourth overall win as they head undefeated into the NCAA tournament.
 
Despite the Mavs carrying a 1-0 lead, they faced resistance from the Lopes as singles became a battle up until the final court.
 
The Lopes were quick to respond to the doubles loss as Da Silva evened the match score with a win over Barot on Court 5. Da Silva came out strong as he did not drop a game in the first set, going up 6-1.
 
The momentum stayed with Da Silva as Barot struggled to climb his way back into the match. He earned one game in the second set before Da Silva closed out 6-1. This marks Barot's first loss to a conference opponent after going 4-0 in regular season play.
 
The Mavs regained the lead as Sasso earned a straight set win of his own on Court 6 over Paolo Rosati. The score stayed close in the first set until Sasso earned the first break which allowed him to go up 5-3. He took care of business in the final game, closing out the set 6-3.
 
Rosati made a push to keep himself in the match in the second set, but Sasso was not to be outdone. As the score stayed even, Sasso made the final two-game run with a hold of serve followed by a break to secure the 6-4 win.
 
Next off was WAC Player of the Year and No. 99 ranked Espinosa as he bounced back from his semifinal loss to earn a solid straight-set win on Court 1. Espinosa set the tone of the match in the first set as he did not allow Salvador a game. The 6-0 victory mirrored his regular season match against Salvador, where he took the first set without dropping a game.
 
Salvador came out stronger in the second set, but Espinosa fought off the momentum as he managed to close out. The two exchanged breaks throughout, but the final break came to Espinosa as he secured the match 7-5 and put the Mavs one point away from the championship.
 
The Lopes started chipping away at a comeback as they earned wins on the next two courts to even the score.
 
Graduate senior Solano Caffarena took a tough straight-set loss on Court 3 to David Wekesa in their second meeting of the season. Caffarena managed to stay within one game of Wekesa in the first set, but a late break of serve hurt his chances of gaining the lead. Wekesa served out the set and gained the 7-5 advantage heading into the second.
 
The second set followed in a similar manner, as Caffarena and Wekesa remained on-serve for the majority of the set. Late in the set, Caffarena earned the break to go up 5-4 then had the opportunity to serve for the set and even the score. Wekesa's return game proved too strong to overcome as he broke back, then held serve to close out the set 7-5.
 
In a tough three-set battle, Teramo fell to Gerhard Sullwald on Court 2 which brought the two teams to 3-3 in the match. Sullwald got off to a strong start in the first set, going up 4-1 after a double break at the third changeover. Teramo started to even the score, eventually bringing the match back on-serve. With both players failing to break serve, the set was left to the tiebreaker at 6-6. Sullwald stayed close, but it was Teramo who earned the final two points to close out 7-6 (5).
 
Teramo struggled to get in rhythm in the second set as Sullwald retaliated and came back stronger. An early break helped Sullwald gain the 3-0 lead as Teramo made strong efforts to close the gap. As the set continued, Sullwald allowed Teramo only two games before earning the 6-2 win.
 
The deciding set followed in a similar manner as Sullwald had turned the tide and took over. Teramo made a two game push, but could not overcome Sullwald in the final points as he fell 6-2.
 
With the match tied at 3-3, the pressure to clinch fell on freshman Medus as he entered a deciding set on Court 5 against Almasi.
 
The first set came down to a break of serve, where Medus triumphed to gain the lead. As he trailed by one game in the beginning, he quickly shifted the energy at 4-3 to go up 5-4 after winning two games. The break then proved crucial in gaining the 6-4 win as he held the lead going into the next set.
 
Medus carried a lead throughout the second set, but Almasi was not to be outdone as he eventually forced a tiebreaker. Late in the set, Medus gained the break of serve to go up 6-5 as he had the opportunity to serve out the match. Almasi broke back, then carried the momentum through the tiebreaker, finishing out 7-6 (4).
 
In the deciding set, Medus rose to the occasion as he locked in to take a strong 4-1 lead after a double break. He served to make the score 5-1, then allowed Almasi one more game before closing out the match. The 6-2 victory secured the championship for the Mavericks as the team celebrated the emotional win.
 
The Mavericks will look to face their first round opponent in the NCAA tournament on May 3 in the NCAA Regionals.
 
UTA 4, GCU 3
Doubles

1. Unfinished
2. Joan Torres Espinosa/ Meethre Barot (UTA) def.  Alfred Almasi/ Pablo Salvador (GCU) 6-1
3. Dante Teramo/ Andres Medus (UTA) def. Wyatt Anderson/ Jonathan Da Silva (GCU) 6-2

Singles

1. Joan Torres Espinosa (UTA) def. Pablo Salvador (GCU) 6-0, 7-5
2. Gerhard Sullwald (GCU) def. Dante Teramo (UTA) 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2
3. David Wekesa (GCU) def. Solano Caffarena (UTA) 7-5, 7-5
4. Andres Medus (UTA) def. Alfred Almasi (GCU) 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2
5. Jonathan Da Silva (GCU) def. Meethre Barot (UTA) 6-0, 6-1
6. Pedro Sasso (UTA) def. Paolo Rosati (GCU) 6-3, 6-4

   
 
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