Wildcats to Start in WAC Semis on Friday

ABILENE – Abilene Christian opens the Western Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Tournament as the No. 3 seed, taking on second-seeded Grand Canyon at 9 a.m. on Friday in Harlingen.
 
ACU vs. GCU | WAC Men's Tournament | Friday-Saturday | HEB Tennis Center | Harlingen | Live Stats vs. GCU | Championship Live Stats
 
ACU enters the tournament at 10-11 overall and 2-2 in the WAC.
 
ACU Storylines
Player of the Week: Daniel Morozov claimed the Western Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week on Tuesday. Morozov got the match-clinching win over UT Rio Grande Valley with a three-set win over Emilien Brunel in No. 1 singles. It was Brunel's first WAC loss. It marked the fifth time this season Morozov has been honored and the second time as a singles player. ACU has claimed WAC weekly awards six times in doubles and four times in singles.
 
History with GCU: Grand Canyon scored a 5-2 win in Arizona this season, snapping ACU's four-match win streak in the series. ACU doubles tandems Daniel Morozov and Cesar Barranquero and Jose Maria Rastrojo and Merse Deli got victories, as did Martin Delnido in singles.
 
With a Win: ACU would advance to its third consecutive WAC Championship match with a win on Friday. Top seed and defending champion UT Arlington takes on Thursday's UT Rio Grande Valley-Seattle winner in Friday's other semifinal. UTA defeated ACU in the regular season 6-1. The Cats beat both Seattle and UTRGV by 4-3 margins.
 
Tournament History: ACU won the WAC title the first time as a conference member in 2022 when it beat New Mexico State and Lamar. Last season, the Cats eliminated Grand Canyon before losing to UTA.
 
Freshman Force: ACU's impressive freshman class has produced 25 singles wins this spring. Martin Delnido has a 9-3 record, including a 7-3 mark on Court 6. Delnido is 4-0 against the WAC and has a seven-match winning streak. Dennis Dutine is 9-7, including a 7-3 record at No. 5. Merse Deli has seven singles wins and is 3-1 in WAC doubles this season.
 
Unbeaten Delis: Freshman Merse Deli and his senior brother Mihally Deli are 9-0 as doubles partners this season.
 
About GCU: The Lopes are 8-12 overall and 3-1 in the WAC after skunking Seattle 7-0 on Friday. David Wakesa has won nine consecutive singles matches and went 4-0 against the WAC, largely on Court 3.