SURPRISE, Ariz. – For the ninth consecutive season, the No. 13 UIndy men's tennis team will compete in the Round of Sixteen of the NCAA DII men's tennis championship. The 2026 NCAA DII men's tennis championships are held at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex.
The Greyhounds open competition this Wednesday, May 20, at 8 A.M. against No. 21 Azusa Pacific.
Earlier in the season, UIndy downed Azusa 4-3 in the seventh-place match of the ITA Indoor National Team Championship, where Lorenzo Di Cursi clinched the match at #6 singles to upset the ninth-ranked Cougars.
UIndy enters the national draw as the eighth seed, after downing No. 34 Grand Valley and sweeping No. 50 Findlay in Regional competition. The win against the Lakers marked their 12th straight win, and third consecutive win against a ranked opponent. In total, UIndy has amassed an 18-4 overall record.
The ninth-seeded Cougars come into nationals with a 22-5 record. Charleston was the No. 1 overall seed in the West Region, where they swept Point Loma 4-0 in their lone Regional match to advance to the national tournament.
Individually, Asier Ayllon Prado leads the singles lineup with a 25-5 record on the year. The No. 22 singles player in the ITA National Poll also has a pair of ranked wins playing #1 singles, and is 20-4 in doubles play.
Tadeo Gaggiofatto's numbers aren't far behind, entering tomorrow's matchup with a 21-5 mark playing #2 singles. The two-time ITA Player to Watch in the Midwest also owns two ranked-wins on the season, while holding a 15-7 record in doubles.
Mathieu Derache, a four-year player with 52 career wins in singles play, enters nationals on an eight-match win streak primarily playing #3 singles. On the season, Derache has a 17-4 clip in singles, and a 16-4 record in doubles.
The freshman duo of Zaid Shelbaya and Jovan Matovic have come into strong form in singles as the season extends deeper into the postseason. Matovic sits at 16-8 on the season, while Shelbaya owns a 13-5 record.
The lineup is rounded out by Di Cursi, who turns in a clip of 14-6 playing predominantly #6 singles.
The Hounds are no stranger to this event, making their ninth nationals appearance in nine seasons. UIndy's deepest championship run came in the 2022-2023 season, where they collected wins in the sweet sixteen and quarterfinals to advance to the national semifinal.
