SEATTLE, Wash. - The Portland State men's tennis team dropped its season opener to the University of Washington 6-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. Despite the loss, sophomore Luka Jovanovic's impressive singles win provided a silver lining for the Vikings.

Washington improved to 2-0 on the year, while the Vikings fell to 1-0. The dual was the fifth matchup between the programs, where the Huskies now hold a 5-0 series lead. Saturday's match, however, was the first of the five to not end in a UW sweep.

In addition to Jovanovic, several other Vikings challenged the Huskies on Saturday. At No. 3 doubles, Cade Edwards and Hembo Mathiasen led Lin Han-Chih and Brett Pearson 5-4 before UW clinched the doubles point, leaving their match unfinished.

The Vikings continued to fight in singles play but the Huskies proved too much, clinching the match with three-straight wins. Jan Semerak battled on the top court, nearly pulling off a set-two victory over Cesar Bouhelaghem before falling 6-2, 7-5. Jovanovic, meanwhile, surged to a 6-1 set-two victory over Brett Pearson despite a slow start on court five. With the dual's final point up for grabs, the Serbia native dominated the super tiebreak 10-1 to secure the win and the point for Portland State. Jovanovic's victory was the first-ever by a Viking over a Washington opponent in dual play.

The Vikings will have nearly two weeks of preparation before their home opener on Friday, Feb. 2 when they host Seattle U at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center (10 am).