LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV men's tennis team opened Mountain West play with a decisive 4-1 win over No. 54 Grand Canyon on an unseasonably warm Friday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.
 
The Rebels remained perfect in five outings at home this season to improve to 7-4 overall while the Antelopes saw their seven-match win streak snapped in falling to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in the MW.
 
The hosts actually had to rally in this one after suffering a stunning loss in doubles. UNLV's Illia Maksymchuk and Marko Maksimovic blanked Daniel Jankoski and Brice Patroux, 6-0, at the top of the lineup but the visitors came roaring back from trailing big on the other two courts to win, 7-5, at No. 3 and then in a tiebreaker, 7-6, at No. 2.
 
Moving to singles play, four Rebels won their first sets and eventually ended things with all taking straight-setters. Maksimovic was done first, 6-3, 6-1, over Andreas Loizas at No. 2; Maksymchuk followed up with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Jankoski at No. 3; Vitaliy Horovoy finished off Brice Patoux, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 5; and then Michael Kouame ended it with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Diordan Macababbad on court four. Both of the remaining matches had just split sets when they were abandoned.
 
REBEL OF THE MATCH: Marko Maksimovic, already a two-time MW Freshman of the Week honoree, improved to 5-1 in singles and 3-1 in doubles as a rookie with a pair of dominant performances.
 
UP NEXT: UNLV will return to its non-conference schedule by hosting Utah from the Big 12 Conference on Sunday starting with doubles play at 1 p.m. Admission to all matches at the Fertitta Tennis Complex is free of charge.
 
Men's Tennis Match Results
UNLV 4, #54 GRAND CANYON 1
Feb. 27, 2026, at Las Vegas, NV
(Fertitta Tennis Complex)

Singles competition
1. #50 Ilia Snitari (UNLVMT) vs. Tristan Berard (GCU) 3-6, 6-4, unfinished
2. Marko Maksimovic (UNLVMT) def. Andreas Loizas (GCU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLVMT) def. Daniel Jankoski (GCU) 6-0, 6-3
4. Michael Kouame (UNLVMT) def. Diordan Macababbad (GCU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Vitaliy Horovoy (UNLVMT) def. Brice Patoux (GCU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Taiyo Hirano (UNLVMT) vs. Charlie Pade (GCU) 3-6, 6-3, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Illia Maksymchuk/Marko Maksimovic (UNLVMT) def. Daniel Jankoski/Brice Patoux (GCU) 6-0
2. #90 Andreas Loizas/Tristan Berard (GCU) def. Taiyo Hirano/Michael Kouame (UNLVMT) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Tim Hohmann/Charlie Pade (GCU) def. Ilia Snitari/Vitaliy Horovoy (UNLVMT) 7-5
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (2,3,5,4)