South Bend, IN - 

The Judson University men's tennis team brought their 2026 season to a close this Wednesday in a hard-fought battle against Holy Cross for the conference championship. While the final score of 4-0 in favor of Holy Cross marked the end of the Eagles' postseason run, the match was characterized by intense competition and several narrow finishes that pushed both programs to their limits.

The afternoon began with a contested doubles point where Judson showed significant resilience. At the No. 1 position, Brayden Kopp and Florian Koppitsch went toe-to-toe with Matthew Jezyk and Luca McManus before falling in a close 6-4 set.

A similar story unfolded at the No. 3 spot, where Julius Fortun and Nicolas Donoso dropped their match by an identical 6-4 margin to Oscar Wai and Hugh O'Sullivan.

Despite the two losses, the No. 2 duo of Joshua Bavich and Brock Dawson were in the middle of a physical battle, trailing just 5-4 when play was halted.

Transitioning into singles play, Holy Cross managed to secure the necessary wins to clinch the title. Brayden Kopp battled through a tight opening set at the top flight before Oscar Wai pulled away for a 7-5, 6-1 victory.

Javier Sanchez and Luca Zandboer also faced formidable opponents at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, falling 1-6, 4-6 and 2-6, 0-6 respectively to give Holy Cross the clinching matches.

The final scoreline does not fully reflect how competitive the remaining matches were at the time of the clinch. Nicolas Donoso was deep into a deciding set at No. 2 after splitting the first two 2-6, 6-3. At the No. 5 position, Julius Fortun held a strong lead after taking his first set 6-2 and was locked in a 2-2 tie in the second.

Meanwhile, Cesar Otondo Villafan was showing great tenacity at No. 6, battling to a 5-5 draw in his second set after a difficult start.

This championship appearance serves as the final chapter for the team, standing as a testament to the grit and dedication displayed by the entire roster throughout their time representing the program.