McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's tennis team concluded their season with a 5-0 loss to the Denver Pioneers in the Summit League semifinals held at Denver Tennis Park. Ranked as the No. 4 seed, Illinois State (7-17, 2-4 in Summit League) faced the top-seeded Denver Pioneers, who boast a record of 17-6 overall and 6-0 in the Summit League.

The match saw Denver secure an early advantage by winning the doubles point. Victories were recorded at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots by the Pioneers. Daniel Sancho-Arbizu extended Denver's lead by defeating Tomas Valencia with 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Subsequent wins at No. 2, No. 5, and No. 6 singles brought Denver to a total of five points, securing their place in the championship match against North Dakota.

Despite the loss, Illinois State capped the season with notable wins against Drake Bulldogs and Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, finishing with an overall record of 7-17 and a conference tally of 2-4.

The final score of the semifinal was 5-0 in favor of Denver.

In doubles play, the tandem of Theo Coats and Daniel Sancho-Arbizu of Denver defeated Tin Ostro and Caden Scarlett of Illinois State with 6-1. Similarly, Ryoma Mishiro and Raffaello Papajcik overcame Christian Capacci and Manuel Pavia 6-2.

In singles play, Daniel Sancho-Arbizu overpowered Tomas Valencia with 6-0, 6-1, while Raffaello Papajcik defeated Adrian Dibildox 6-1, 6-2. Ryoma Mishiro also claimed a victory against Jett Leong with a score of 6-2, 6-1, and Connor Robb-Wilcox secured a win against Caden Scarlett 6-2, 6-2.

Followers of Illinois State men's tennis can stay updated on the latest news through the GoRedbirds.com website, "X" at RedbirdMTEN, and Instagram at redbirdmtennis. Additionally, the Illinois State Redbirds App offers access to tickets, multimedia, merchandise, and more.