SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's tennis beat Montana State 4-1 in a dual match on Friday afternoon at the Stevens Center, lifting GU to a 4-1 record.

The Bulldogs had to dig out of an early hole, with the Bobcats capturing the doubles point. Gus Krauel/Kai-Luca Ampaw dropped their bout 6-3, while Giovanni Branchetti/Jay Fairclough won theirs 6-4. With the doubles point in the balance, players and coaches surrounded court three as Tom Dunlop/Diego Herrera came up short, 7-5.

Now facing a deficit, Gonzaga's top three singles players — Branchetti, Ampaw, and Fairclough — made quick work, dismantling their opponents in two sets each to take a 3-1 lead in the dual. Herrera's first set went to a tiebreaker, with the Zag falling behind 0-3. He rallied to win the tiebreaker 7-4, then took the second frame 6-3 to secure the Bulldog victory.

When the match was clinched, Oscar Rashed and Dunlop were in tightly contested matches. Rashed had a first-set tiebreaker, outlasting his opponent 8-6, then was tied 5-5 in the second frame. Dunlop dropped his first set 4-6, won the second 6-2, and led the third 4-2.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs host Nevada on Sunday (Feb. 2 at 10 a.m.) at the Stevens Center. Live stats and video will be available at GoZags.com for those unable to attend.

MATCH NOTES
- GU men's tennis is 4-1 this season, with wins against Eastern Washington (twice) and Seattle.
- The Bulldogs are 3-0 at the Stevens Center.
- Montana State is now 1-4. The Bobcats beat Whitworth 7-0 earlier Friday morning.
- All time, GU men's tennis is now 3-0 in dual matches against MSU, including 4-3 in 2007 and 4-0 in 2022.

1/31 Dual Results:
Gonzaga 4, Montana State 1

Doubles
1. Giovanni Branchetti/Jay Fairclough def. Dmitry Bezborodov/Harrison Janes (MSU) 6-4
2. Yassin Elaroussy/Eddie Biss (MSU) def. Gus Krauel/Kai-Luca Ampaw 6-3
3. Alex Vlahos/Andre Stewart (MSU) def. Tom Dunlop/Diego Herrera 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles
1. Giovanni Branchetti def. Dmitry Bezborodov (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Kai-Luca Ampaw def. Andre Stewart (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Jay Fairclough def. Eddie Biss (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Tom Dunlop vs. Yassin Elaroussy (MSU) 4-6, 6-2, 4-2 (DNF)
5. Oscar Rashed vs. Camille Chantron (MSU) 7-6 (6), 5-5 (DNF) 
6. Diego Herrera def. Harrison Janes (MSU) 7-6 (4), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, 6