Men's Tennis Suffers Loss to Portland in Season Opener

SEATTLE – Opening its 2026 spring championship campaign on the West Coast, the Belmont University men's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to the University of Portland Friday evening in a neutral-site match at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle. The tandem of senior Sabi Roi and junior Stefan Vedovelli claimed a win at the top doubles spot, but the Bruins (0-1) were unable to secure the coveted doubles point before falling in all six singles matches.
 
Roi and Vedovelli topped the Pilots' No. 1 doubles duo of Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando in a tiebreaker, while sophomore Charlie Robin and graduate Will Ecklund were edged in a tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles.
 
Portland (1-0) won 6-3 at third doubles courtesy of Tannor Binder and Lucas Kimelman.
 
In singles action, freshman Austin Yack was the only Belmont player to win a set. He rallied in the second stanza against Kimelman at the fourth spot, taking a 7-3 tiebreaker and forcing a decisive 10-point super tiebreaker for the third set. Yack nearly overcame an 8-3 deficit in the super tiebreak but was narrowly defeated 10-8.
 
Vedovelli forced a second-set tiebreaker at No. 3 singles versus Fernando but was unable to close out the set after a 6-2 opening set loss.
 
Sophomore Morgan Woodson put up a fight at No. 6 singles in a 7-5, 6-4 match against Binder.
 
Up Next
The Bruins return to action in Seattle Saturday as they take on the Big Ten Conference's Washington. First serve from the Nordstrom Tennis Center is slated for 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT. Next Friday, Belmont hosts Austin Peay for its home opener at the Ensworth Tennis Center.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont men's tennis on social media – @BelmontMTennis on X, formerly Twitter, and @belmontmtennis on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.