LOS ANGELES – The LMU men's tennis team was one point away from a sweep in a 4-1 victory over San Francisco on Friday afternoon at the LMU Tennis Center. 

 

With clouds covering the courts for the entirety of the match, the Lions once again got off to a hot start with a doubles win. Sebastian Nothhaft and Arthur Pantino continued to play well as a pairing. They swung their way to a 6-4 win in No. 1 doubles. They are 8-5 together and 7-3 in their last ten matches.  

 

Max Wuelfing and Yassine Smiej were dominant in No. 3 doubles. The pair barely broke a sweat in their 6-1 victory to cinch up the doubles point.  

 

In singles play, the Lions demonstrated what has made them so successful in the West Coast Conference in 2024, they do not go down easy.  

 

Wuelfing continued to be a nuisance with a straight sets victory in No. 5 singles. He has a solid 4-2 record in WCC play.  

 

Nothhaft also continued to play well in No. 3 singles with a straight sets win, going 6-3, 6-4 in the win. He put the Lions up 3-0 at the time and on the verge of the win.  

 

Pantino was the one that put the Lions over the edge. After dropping his first set, it appeared Pantino was not at his best on Friday. But, the junior put together two great sets to pull out the point and send the Lions home winners. He "double dipped" with a 6-4 win in the second set and a 6-1 dominating victory in the decider.  

 

The Lions improved to 3-3 in WCC play with the win with two matches remaining.  

 

They will face Gonzaga on Saturday, weather permitting. A win over the Bulldogs would go a long way towards guaranteeing the Lions a spot in the WCC Tournament taking place April 25-27 hosted at the Aztec Tennis Center in San Diego, Calif.