DePaul Outlasts Butler in Sunday Thriller

Sunday, February 22

Chicago, Ill.

12:15 P.M. CT

DePaul University

Butler

2/22/2026 4:16:00 PM | MEN'S TENNIS

Blue Demons earn first victory of the season, 4-3 over Butler

CHICAGO – DePaul men's tennis secured its first win of the dual season Sunday afternoon, edging Butler 4-3 at XS Tennis Village in a match that ultimately came down to a third-set tiebreak on the final court.

Doubles play unfolded in near-perfect symmetry early on, with all three courts locked at 2-2 and again at 3-3. Each pairing held serve through the opening six games, keeping the doubles race completely even across the board. Butler struck first at No. 1, where Riccardo Baldi and Rahulnik Konakanchi edged Tobias Leitner and Sebastian Medica, 6-3, to take a brief advantage in the doubles competition.

DePaul answered immediately at No. 2. Alejandro Gandini and Pablo Torres Almeida stayed composed and closed out a 6-3 win over Nicolas Arts and Nicholas Shirley to draw level with the Bulldogs. With the doubles point resting on No. 3, Thomas Giles and Sven Moser rose to the moment. Facing break point at 5-6, the pair held serve to force a tiebreak at 6-6, then dominated the breaker 7-1 to secure the 7-6(1) victory and clinch the Blue Demons' first doubles point of the dual season.

In singles, Butler evened the match at 1-1 with a straight-set result at No. 6. Sebastian Medica quickly restored DePaul's advantage at No. 4, delivering a 7-5, 7-5 win to put the Blue Demons back in front. Momentum shifted again at No. 3, where Pablo Torres Almeida split the opening two sets and built a 5-3 lead in the third before Butler forced a deciding tiebreak. Torres Almeida dropped the breaker 7-5, leveling the overall score at 2-2.

DePaul responded at the top of the lineup. Alejandro Gandini rebounded from a 6-3 first-set setback, controlled a second-set tiebreak 7-6(3), and closed out the third 6-3 to regain the team lead at 3-2. Butler answered at No. 2. Andy Hadziabdic rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the first set to win a 7-6(3) tiebreak, but the Bulldogs forced a third set and claimed it 6-4, tying the match at 3-3.

The outcome rested on No. 5, where Augusto Pardo Cano dropped the opening set 6-4 before responding with a dominant 6-2 second. In a tight third set that featured multiple momentum swings, Pardo Cano forced a 6-6 deadlock and surged in the tiebreak 7-2 to clinch the decisive fourth point and seal the 4-3 victory for DePaul.

Final Results
DePaul 4, Butler 3
February 22, 2026
XS Tennis Village – Chicago, Ill.

Doubles
Riccardo Baldi/Rahulnik Konakanchi (BUT) def. Tobias Leitner/Sebastian Medica (DPU) 6-3
Alejandro Gandini/Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) Nicolas Arts/Nicholas Shirley (BUT) 6-3
Thomas Giles/Sven Moser (DPU) def. Nicholas Balthazor/Arnesh Singh (BUT) 7-6(1)

Singles
Alejandro Gandini (DPU) def. Ronin Kasday (BUT) 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
Riccardo Baldi (BUT) def. Andy Hadziabdic (DPU) 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4
Pablo Torres Almeida (DPU) def. Nicolas Arts (BUT) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5)
Sebastian Medica (DPU) def. Rahulnik Konakanchi (BUT) 7-5, 7-5
Augusto Pardo Cano (DPU) def. Nicholas Shirley (BUT) 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2)
Nicholas Balthazor (BUT) def. Thomas Giles (DPU) 6-1, 6-2

Order of Finish
Doubles: 2-1-3
Singles: 6-4-3-1-2-5

UP NEXT
Men's tennis hosts the George Lott Classic, Feb. 28–March 1 at XS Tennis Village. Participating programs include Army, Cal Poly, Dartmouth, and DePaul.

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