The Basics
Score: No. 1 Denver 5, No. 4 Illinois State 0
Records: #63 Denver (17-6), Illinois State (7-17)
Location: Denver Tennis Park
DENVER – Top-seeded Denver continued its dominance in the Summit League Men’s Tennis Championship, sweeping No. 4 Illinois State 5-0 in Friday’s second men’s semifinal at Denver Tennis Park. With the victory, the Pioneers secured their sixth consecutive appearance in the championship match.
No. 63 Denver wasted no time establishing control, clinching the doubles point with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Theo Coats and Daniel Sancho Arbizu set the tone with a 6-1 win over Illinois State’s Tin Ostro and Caden Scarlett.
Ryoma Mishiro and Raffaello Papajcik followed up with a 6-2 victory against Manuel Pavia and Christian Capacci, giving Denver the early 1-0 lead.
In singles play, Player of the Year #45 Sancho Arbizu dominated at No. 1, securing a 6-0, 6-1 win over Tomas Valencia to extend the lead to 2-0.
Mishiro kept the momentum rolling with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 5, pushing Denver ahead 3-0. Papajcik sealed the match at No. 2 with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Adrian Dibildox, ensuring Denver’s place in the final.
Connor Robb-Wilcox added the finishing touch with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6, completing the sweep.
Up Next
Denver will now turn its attention to North Dakota, which advanced to its first-ever championship match after defeating Omaha 4-1 earlier in the day. The Pioneers will look to defend their title and extend their reign atop the Summit League.
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