Lobos Open Road Trip with 5-2 Win Over GCU
PHOENIX, Ariz. — New Mexico got big days from Raul Dobai and Dominic West at the top of the lineup as UNM opened it’s four-match, seven day road swing to the Grand Canyon state with a 5-2 win over the Grand Canyon ‘Lopes at the GCU Tennis Center in Phoenix. The win pushed UNM’s record to 2-1 on the day the team learned that it will be able to potentially host matches due to a change in the state health order.
UNM’s road swing continues on Thursday with a 3 p.m. match against Oregon, the first of three Pac-12 opponents for UNM. That match will take place at Arizona State University.
The Lobos dominated doubles, setting the tone for the afternoon, UNM’s first match of the season played outside. West picked up the first of two wins on the day, teaming with Sergio Molina at No. 1 doubles for a 6-3 win. At No. 2 doubles, Dobai also earned his first of two wins as he and Jake Trondson picked up a 6-3 win to clinch the point. UNM would have won it either way as Stepan Holis and Facundo Bermejo were up 5-3 when the double point was clinched.
From there it went to singles, and UNM controlled the match from there. GCU did tie things at 1-1 with a win at No. 4 singles by Jiri Novak over Molina, but after that, UNM was pretty much in control. Rafael Abdulsalam had a cakewalk at No. 5, winning 6-0, 6-2, and Dobai’s 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 gave UNM a 3-1 stranglehold on the match with West getting ready to cruise to an easy third set win.
GCU got it to 3-2 with a win at No. 3 singles, but Bermejo was able to clinch the win with a 6-0, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7) win at No. 6. Had that match not fallen UNM’s way, the Lobos would have still had it as West, after splitting his first two sets 7-6 (7-4) and 1-6, took his third in a runaway at 6-1. That gave UNM a 5-2 margin, and it kept UNM perfect against Grand Canyon all-time at 3-0. GCU fell to just 1-8 on the year.
NOTES: West improved to 2-0 in singles on the season, and the win was the 54th in his career … West now has 49 doubles wins.