SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's tennis began West Coast Conference play on Sunday, outlasting Portland 4-3 at the Stevens Center.

The Bulldogs (9-5 overall, 1-0 WCC) claimed the doubles point with 6-4 victories by Giovanni Branchetti/Kai-Luca Ampaw and Jay Fairclough/Nicholas Reeves. 

Moving to singles, Portland (6-5, 0-1) notched two points with wins over Reeves (6-3, 6-4) and Tom Dunlop (6-4, 6-3). The Zags tied the dual 2-2 as Fairclough prevailed 6-3, 6-4 to win his fifth straight singles match.

The final three singles bouts concluded within minutes of each other with Oscar Rashed first falling 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Both extending to three sets, Branchetti held on 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 and Ampaw survived 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 as Gonzaga's top two singles players clinched the match for the home team.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs continue WCC play with road duals at Pacific (March 28) and Saint Mary's (March 30).

MATCH NOTES
- Gonzaga men's tennis is 9-5 this spring season, with other wins against Eastern Washington (twice), Seattle (twice), Montana State, No. 69 Montana, UC San Diego, and SDSU.
- The Zags have now won five of their past six matches.
- GU is 6-2 at home, with 4-3 defeats to Nevada (Feb. 2) and Idaho (March 2).
- Portland is now 6-5 this season, snapping a three-dual winning streak.
- Earlier this season, Portland men's tennis appeared on the ITA national rankings for the first time since 2017. After beating nationally-ranked Utah State, the Pilots on Feb. 20 were No. 72 of the ITA's Top 75 teams 

DOUBLES ATHLETE NOTES
- Fairclough/Reeves kept their record unscathed (6-0) when paired up this season.
- Branchetti/Ampaw won their fourth straight doubles bout, improving to 4-1 as a duo.
- Fairclough/Branchetti are 6-2 when paired up; however, they have been separated since Feb. 23 when the Zags' current 4-1 dual streak began.
- Fairclough leads the Bulldogs in overall doubles wins (12-2), followed by Branchetti (10-3), Reeves (8-1), and Ampaw (6-5).

SINGLES ATHLETE NOTES
- Fairclough (9-3) is also leading GU in singles wins, followed by Ampaw (8-5), Rashed (6-3), and Dunlop (6-5).
- Fairclough has prevailed in five straight singles bouts, while Branchetti is on a two-match winning streak, now 5-6 in singles this spring.

3/23 Dual Results:
Gonzaga 4, Portland 3

Doubles
1. Giovanni Branchetti/Kai-Luca Ampaw def. Stefan Skobelev/Maxim Groysman (UP), 6-4
2. Jay Fairclough/Nicholas Reeves def. Cade Fernando/Nikola Keremedchiev (UP), 6-4
3. Tom Garcia/Lucas Kimelman (UP) def. Tom Dunlop/Gus Krauel, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. Giovanni Branchetti def. Maxim Groysman (UP), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
2. Kai-Luca Ampaw def. Nikola Keremedchiev (UP), 6-2, 0-6, 6-4
3. Stefan Skobelev (UP) def. Nicholas Reeves, 6-3, 6-4
4. Tom Garcia (UP) def. Tom Dunlop, 6-4, 6-3
5. Jay Fairclough def. Lucas Kimelman (UP), 6-3, 6-4
6. Cade Fernando (UP) def. Oscar Rashed 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2