Pepperdine University
Texas Tech
Pepperdine Grinds Out 6-1 Win over Texas Tech
3/14/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 14, 2012
MALIBU, Calif. - Jenson Turner and Sebastian Fanselow recovered from a 6-1 deficit to win and clinch the doubles point for the Pepperdine men's tennis team, and the momentum carried over into singles as the Waves defeated Texas Tech, 6-1.
The win was the sixth-straight for Pepperdine, and improves the team's record to 9-6 overall. The Red Raiders fall to 8-5 on the season.
Although the Waves won the doubles point, it was not without a strong challenge from the Red Raiders.
Hugh Clarke (Brisbane, Australia/Brisbane Boys' College) and David Sofaer (Bellevue Hill, Australia/Sydney Distance Education HS) put away an 8-4 decision on court three to tilt the scales in Pepperdine's favor to open the afternoon.
It appeared as though Texas Tech would win on court two, as Rafael Garcia and Vitor Manzini took a 6-1 lead against Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Prep) and Turner (Woodland Hills, Calif./Campbell Hall HS).
The Wave duo battled back and won five of the next six games to narrow the gap to one, 7-6.
The comeback appeared as though it would fall short, however, as Garcia and Manzini went up 40-love to give themselves three match points.
Again, Fanselow and Turner were resilient and scored the next five consecutive points to knot the match at 7-7. The Waves rode the momentum to a 9-7 victory to clinch the doubles point.
Texas Tech avoided the sweep by winning the No. 1 match in the tiebreaker.
In singles, Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) won the first set 6-2 before his opponent, Raony Carvalho was forced to retired due to injury two games into the second frame.
Turner gave the Waves a 3-0 lead after defeating Raphael Pfister, 6-1, 6-2.
After winning 7-5 in the first set tiebreaker, Mousheg Hovhannisyan (North Hollywood, Calif./Continental Academy) put away the match with a 6-2 triumph versus Manzini in the second frame to secure the team win for Pepperdine.
Texas Tech got on the board when Gabriel Wanderley came from behind to edge Clarke, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, but the Waves kept on rolling with wins from the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in the lineup.
Fanselow struggled in the first set and lost 6-3 to Escobar, but found his rhythm and took the final two stanzas 6-3, 6-3.
Alex Llompart (Carolina, Puerto Rico/San Juan Educational School) rallied late in the first set to win 7-1 in the tiebreaker, but Garcia bounced back in set two to force a third. Llompart was able to get himself back on track and won 6-3 to conclude the afternoon's action.
Next up, Pepperdine hosts Nebraska on Tuesday, March 20 and Washington on Wednesday, March 21. Admission to the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center is free and both matches begin a 1 p.m.
#8 Pepperdine 6, #22 Texas Tech 1
Singles
1. #11 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #59 Gonzolo Escobar (TTECH) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. #19 Finn Tearney (PEP) def. Raony Carvalho (TTECH) 6-2, 2-0, retired
3. Alex Llompart (PEP) def. Rafael Garcia (TTECH) 7-6 (7-1), 0-6, 6-3
4. #76 Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Vitor Manzini (TTECH) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
5. Gabriel Wanderley (TTECH) def. Hugh Clarke (PEP) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Jenson Turner (PEP) def. Raphael Pfister (TTECH) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. Raony Carvalho/Gonzolo Escobar (TTECH) def. #3 Alex Llompart/Finn Tearney (PEP) 9-8 (7-3)
2. Sebastian Fanselow/Jenson Turner (PEP) def. Rafael Garcia/Vitor Manzini (TTECH) 9-7
3. #75 Hugh Clarke/David Sofaer (PEP) def. Jeff Bryan/Raphael Pfister (TTECH) 8-4
Match Notes:
Texas Tech 8-5; National ranking #22
Pepperdine 9-6; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,6,4,5,1,3)
Players Mentioned
