LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The 74th-ranked UNLV men's tennis team downed a higher-ranked Grand Canyon squad 4-1 for the second time this season and this one came in the first round of the Credit Union 1 Men's Tennis Championship Wednesday night at the Darling Tennis Center.
 
The fourth-seeded Rebels improved to 14-7 overall while the fifth-seeded and 67th-ranked Lopes ended their season at 18-6.

UNLV set the tone in doubles play, taking both completed matches. Joel Gibson and Taiyo Hirano downed Heremana Courte and Brice Patoux, 6-4, at the third spot before Illia Maksymchuk and Marko Maksimovic clinched the 1-0 lead with a 6-2 victory over Daniel Jankoski and Charlie Pade on court two.  

Moving to singles, the Rebels won the first set on five of six courts to take charge.
 
Vitaliy Horovoy was finished first, downing Pade 6-3, 6-3 at the fifth spot. At the top of the lineup, 65th-ranked All-American Ilia Snitari improved to an eye-popping 28-2 with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Tristan Berard. After GCU picked up its lone point, Maksimovic, the MW Freshman of the Year, gutted out a dramatic, two-tiebreaker, 7-6, 7-6 win over Diordan Macababbad on court two to send his team into the semifinals.
 
UP NEXT: The Rebels will face top-seeded and 57th-ranked Utah State on Thursday at Darling, with doubles starting at 5 p.m.   
 
Men's Tennis Match Results
Credit Union 1 Mountain West Championship Quarterfinal
(4) #74 UNLV 4, (5) #67 GCU 1
April 22, 2026, at Las Vegas
(Darling Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. #65 Ilia Snitari (UNLV) def. Tristan Berard (GCU) 6-2, 7-5
2. Marko Maksimovic (UNLV) def. Diordan Macababbad (GCU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3)
3. Illia Maksymchuk (UNLV) vs. Andreas Loizas (GCU) 6-4, 5-7, 3-0, unfinished
4. Daniel Jankoski (GCU) def. Arda Karakas (UNLV) 6-3, 7-5
5. Vitaliy Horovoy (UNLV) def. Charlie Pade (GCU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Taiyo Hirano (UNLV) vs. Brice Patoux (GCU) 6-3, 4-6, 3-4, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Arda Karakas/Ilia Snitari (UNLV) vs. Tristan Berard/Andreas Loizas (GCU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Illia Maksymchuk/Marko Maksimovic (UNLV) def. Daniel Jankoski/Charlie Pade (GCU) 6-2
3. Joel Gibson/Taiyo Hirano (UNLV) def. Heremana Courte/Brice Patoux (GCU) 6-4
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,1,4,2)