By: Generated by uReport

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Stanton erased an early deficit and Arizona Christian rolled in straight-line fashion Friday, setting up a top-seeded championship matchup at the GSAC Men’s Tennis Championships at Paseo Racquet Center.

No. 3 seed Stanton defeated No. 2 seed Lewis-Clark State 4-2 in the semifinal round, recovering after dropping the doubles point and falling behind 2-0. In the other semifinal, No. 1 seed Arizona Christian swept No. 5 seed OUAZ 4-0, winning the doubles point quickly and never giving OUAZ a path back into the match.

Lewis-Clark State opened strongly against Stanton. The Warriors claimed the doubles point by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 courts after the teams split the opening result, and Rafael Bonnet and Nell Rollin provided the deciding doubles win, 6-3. Bonnet then pushed Lewis-Clark State’s lead to 2-0 with a commanding victory at No. 2 singles, putting Stanton in an early hole.

Stanton’s response came through singles depth. Oleksandr Kolesnychenko got the Thunder on the board with a straight-sets win at No. 1 singles, and Matthias Bigot followed with another straight-sets result at No. 4 to tie the dual at 2-2. Sebastian Koster delivered another key point at No. 5 singles, winning in straight sets to move Stanton in front for the first time, 3-2.

The clinching point came at No. 3 singles, where Yohann Molle outlasted his opponent in the most competitive match still on court. After taking the first set 6-1 and dropping the second in a tiebreak, Molle closed the door with a 6-3 third-set win to secure the 4-2 team victory. The remaining singles match was left unfinished once the decision was reached.

Arizona Christian’s semifinal was far less dramatic. The Firestorm captured the doubles point with decisive wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, leaving the top-flight match unfinished. In singles, Sam Miyata struck first with a straight-sets win at No. 4, Hugo Abril extended the lead to 3-0 with a victory at No. 1, and Lennert LeMahieu finished the sweep with a straight-sets clincher at No. 2 singles. The rest of the lineup was halted after the deciding point.

The results send Stanton and Arizona Christian into Saturday’s GSAC Men’s Tennis Championship match, scheduled for 10 a.m. PT. It will pair the tournament’s top seed with a surging No. 3 seed that has now won consecutive postseason matches to reach the final.