Huskies Drop Super Sunday Thriller Versus ‘Zags

Sunday, February 8

Seattle, Wash.

11:00 AM

University of Washington

Gonzaga

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

February 08, 2026 | Men's Tennis

UW - 3, GU - 4

By: UW Athletic Communications

SEATTLE – Washington Men's Tennis drops a tense match on this Super Sunday morning by a score of 3-4. The Dawgs are now 4-3 on the season and 1-1 on this weekend's slate of northwest matchups. The Huskies will look to respond next week with a Valentine's Day Double Header with matches against Santa Clara and Portland State scheduled for 11AM and 3PM back at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. This was the first loss the Huskies have taken in series history vs the Bulldogs, that all-time record is now 20-1.

"I cannot be more proud of the we battled, not just today, but all weekend.." Head Coach Rahim Esmail couldn't have said it any better. The Huskies, despite the slow start to the match, battled in all facets of this contest.

In Doubles, 63-ranked duo Brett Pearson/Soham Purohit took care of business early, dismantling the 'Zags top pair by way of a 6-4 decisive victory. However the Doubles point would be dropped as the 'Zags would go on to win the No. 2 and No. 3 matches by way of 6-4.

After going down 0-1, the Huskies battled back and forth for points with the Bulldogs, as a pair of matches went the full three set distance, with freshman Daniel Bien and senior Brett Pearson reaching the match deciding sets. Ultimately Pearson would drop the final set 4-6, competing until the very end in what would be the final point needed to secure Gonzaga's 1^st win against the Huskies. Since all matches were playing out, Daniel was able to pick up a set and match win, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, after the game was decided, leading to the late 3-4 scoreline.

Providing the early spark for the Dawgs, both 121^st ranked junior Soham Purohit and sophomore Stephane Kamendje won their Singles matches in straight sets, with Soham cruising to a 6-1, 6-4 win and Stephane starting fast with a Set 1 win 6-1 but winning a battle in a tie break 7-6(5) from Set 2 to seal the victory.

Nikola Plavsic again made the start this morning, impressing from both doubles and singles with close losses. The Huskies played up a position in Singles with the regular No. 3 starter sidelined for the weekend due to an illness.

The Dawgs will return to action next Saturday, February 14^th with a pair of matchups against Santa Clara (5-2) and Portland State (2-5), scheduled for 11AM and 3PM respectively.

For more information on the UW Men's Tennis Team, download the GoHuskies app, and follow @UW_MTennis on X and Instagram.

Washington Men's Tennis
February 8, 2026
Seattle, Wash. | Nordstrom Tennis Center | 11:00 AM PT
Washington – 3
Gonzaga – 4

Singles
1. (#121) Soham Purohit (UW) def. Giovanni Branchetti (GU) – 6-1, 6-4.
2. Stephane Kamendje (UW) def. Jay Fairclough (GU) – 6-3, 7-6(5).
3. Oscar Rashed (GU) def. Brett Pearson (UW) – 3-6, 6-2, 4-6.
4. Nicholas Reeves (GU) def. Hyeonseok Seo (UW) – 6-7 (4), 2-6.
5. Daniel Bien (UW) def. Tom Dunlop (GU) – 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
6. Diego Herrera (GU) def. Nikola Plavsic (UW) – 4-6, 4-6.
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 6, 3, 5.

Doubles
1. (#63) Pearson/Purohit (UW) def. Branchetti/Fairclough (GU) – 6-4
2. Rashed/Reeves (GU) def. Kamendje/Plasvic (UW) – 4-6
3. Herrera/Krauel (GU) def. Bien/Seo (UW) – 4-6
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3.

Match Notes (prior to match):
Washington (4-2)
Gonzaga (1-2)
Playing out all matches per coaches decision.
Rohan Belday – Out (Illness)
21st meeting – UW leads 20-0