Men’s tennis player Luis Jose Nakamine’s victory on Sunday afternoon marks the highest-ranked win by an ACU player in over 10 years, even as the Wildcats fell 6-1 to the Sooners at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

The sophomore and Baylor transfer defeated Oklahoma’s Oscar Lacides, the nation’s 57th-ranked singles player, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 at the No. 1 position.

Head Coach Juan Nuñez said Nakamine’s performance exemplified the exact mentality ACU needs as they navigate a brutal early-season schedule.

“The mental side of it, the focus,” Nuñez said. “It doesn’t rattle us, and we just continue to stick to who we are until you can turn that match around.”

Nakamine, one of Peru’s top young talents who competed in the 2024 Australian Open junior boys’ competition, has wasted no time making his mark in purple and white. The win came in his third match as a Wildcat, following consecutive losses to No. 2 Texas and No. 3 TCU.

Nuñez said the strategy behind that gauntlet is intentional.

“When you start the way we start, usually by the time you get to your conference opponents, the speed feels slower because you’ve been playing at a higher level,” Nuñez said. “It’s at the highest level to start the season, and it gets kind of easier from there.”

ACU’s improvement was visible even in defeat. After last Saturday’s match against Texas felt overwhelming, Sunday’s contest showed growth.

“Saturday, it just seemed like everything was happening too fast,” Nuñez said. “Sunday, you could see the guys feeling okay.”

Now at 0-3, the Wildcats are battle-tested. With a seven-man roster and no room for error, they’ll need more performances like Nakamine’s to turn their preparation into results.

“It’s gonna take every single one of us,” Nuñez said.

The Wildcats’ next match is a doubleheader in Waco with SMU at 9 a.m. and No. 16 Baylor at 12:30 p.m.