DENVER – The No. 63-ranked University of Denver men's tennis team (18-6, 5-0 Summit) successfully defended it Summit League championship, winning the 2025 title with a 4-0 sweep over North Dakota at Denver Tennis Park on Saturday morning.
 
No. 1 seed DU won a contentious battle for the doubles point before claiming straight-sets victories on the top three singles courts to finish as Summit League tournament champions for the second year in a row and for the eighth time overall. In total, it is the 10^th conference tournament title in program history.
 
Doubles:
DU came from behind in the doubles contest after dropping the No. 1 match, going on to win the dual's first point with matching 6-3 results in the last two courts. Denver first earned a win from senior Daniel Sancho Arbizu and freshman Theo Coats at No. 2 with the Pioneers going up 3-1 and turning it into a 5-2 lead. The final two games each went to the serving team, seeing Denver win it, 6-3.
 
Juniors Ryoma Mishiro and Raffaello Papajcik clinched the point despite going down a break to start play. From 1-3 down, they broke back to level it at 3-3 as part of a five-game win streak to close out the match.
 
Singles:
For the second match in a row, Papajcik lost only three games in No. 2 singles. After opening with a bagel in the first set – his second of the year against a Summit League opponent – he faced a closer battle in the second, dropping serve early but immediately getting back on track. The junior gained a critical break lead in his favor in the eighth game and held at love to back it up in the next and final game.
 
Yamaguchi put Denver within a point of the trophy with a 6-3 6-1 win at No. 3 singles. He jumped out to a 5-1 lead but gave one break back before successfully closing it out in his next service game. To start the second set, he went on a four-game run before his opponent was able to hold for the first time. After another hold of serve, Yamaguchi had two match points against UND's serve and finished off on the second.
 
Just minutes later, Sancho Arbizu secured the title to extend his singles win streak to 15 – all coming in straight sets. He got off to a solid start in the first frame, breaking in the opening game and extending the lead to two breaks and 5-1. Following a hold for his opponent, the Denver senior eased through what would be the final game of the set, holding at 40-15. The players traded breaks to open the second, starting what would be an evenly-placed  set until Sancho Arbizu went up what would be the deciding break at 5-4. With a hold at love, he won the match and clinched the sweep for Denver.
 
In the unfinished matches, freshman Samuel Rovai and graduate student Connor Robb-Wilcox were both up a set at Nos. 4 and 6 singles, respectively. Mishiro had begun a rally from a set down at No. 5 and held a break advantage in the second, 4-2.
 
Up Next:
The University of Denver men's tennis team has secured an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships and will await official selections and placement in the bracket, which will be announced on Monday, April 28, at 3 p.m. MT.
 
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