MALIBU, Calif. — Competing in the ITA Southwest Regional quarterfinals, both Pepperdine men's tennis doubles teams picked up wins against Power-5 opponents on their home court of Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Saturday morning.
George Davis (London, England) and Linus Carlsson Halldin (Stockholm, Sweden) beat USC's Wojtek Marek and Samuel Rubell 8-6, while Maxi Homberg (Freising, Germany) and Edward Winter (Adelaide, Australia) beat Arizona's Inaki Cabrera-Bello and Gustaf Strom 8-2 one court over. The wins set up an all-Pepperdine semifinal match on Sunday at 10 a.m. with a spot to the ITA Fall National Championships on the line. Both semifinal winners in the region earn berths to the national championships.
With both Waves duos competing on neighboring courts, one might have mistaken the fall tournament for a spirited, spring dual match. Both Pepperdine teams set the tone early, breaking their opponents immediately and holding serve to go up a break.
Playing in front of the grandstands, Davis and Carlsson Halldin won the first two break points off USC's Marek and Rubell, then held off break point when Davis' overhead smash at the net put the Waves up 4-0. For the next three games, the match was held on serve until the Trojans broke the Waves on deuce point to make the score 5-3.
But the Waves broke back the following game when Carlsson Halldin smoked a backhand past both Trojans at the net to go up 6-3. The Waves held for 7-3, yet USC made one more comeback attempt in the next two games. Marek and Rubell won the next eight points to make the score 7-5, then would hold serve, putting extra pressure on the Waves to close out the match. With Carlsson Halldin serving, the Pepperdine duo punched their ticket to the semifinals when Davis smashed Marek's backhand return at the net to win 8-6.
Like Davis and Carlsson Halldin's match, Homberg and Winter won the first two break points over their opponents before Arizona's duo of Cabrera-Bello and Strom won deuce point to make the score 4-1. Yet the Waves faced little resistance from the Wildcats. Pepperdine held serve to make the score 5-1, then won all four points in the next game, breaking Arizona when one of the Wildcats' forehand slices at the net went wide.
The match was played on serve from that point forward. In the final game, Homberg's serve stymied the Wildcats, as the sophomore notched two aces and forced a return error for three of Pepperdine's points. On match point, Winter's winner at the net closed the book on the Waves' 8-2 win.
After playing doubles, Winter quickly dispatched his first singles opponent of the day: San Diego's Neo Niedner. In the first set, Winter broke Niedner and built a 5-0 lead before Niedner held serve at 5-1. Winter would win the first set 6-1.
Like the first set, Winter broke Niedner first and went up a break yearly. But unlike the first set, Niedner broke Winter and held serve to tie the second set at two games apiece. The match wouldn't get closer than that. Winter broke back, then while facing break point in the next game, worked Niedner into the far corner and forced Niedner to make a shallow return, which Winter gently tapped over the net to take a 4-2 lead.
Niedner held serve and forced another deuce point in the next game, but his return went long and Winter held for a 5-3 lead. The match would play on serve for the next two games, as Winter won match point on a return error from Niedner for a 6-1, 6-4 win.
The next match against #23 Colton Smith of Arizona, however, was a steeper challenge. Smith — the highest-ranked player Winter has faced in college thus far — broke first, then Winter broke back when Smith's backhand return went wide. Winter consolidated the break to take a 2-1 lead, but Smith would rattle off the next five games to win the first set 6-2.
Trailing 4-2 in the second set, Winter showed resolve. The freshman was able to move Smith around with his forehand into difficult returns, which led to a key hold at 4-3 when Smith's backhand return went into the net on game point. Smith held serve at 5-3, but Winter had one more comeback attempt in him. Winter got to an early 40-15 lead in the ninth game before winning on an ace. He then broke Smith for the first time in the set by winning a series of long points to even the score at five games apiece. However, Smith would break Winter back and hold serve to win 6-2, 7-5.
Aside from Winter, Waves singles players Carlsson Halldin, Davis and Homberg played in consolation singles matches. Homberg would beat Cal Poly's Noah Berry 6-0, 4-6 (10-5), whereas both Carlsson Halldin and Davis fell in three-set matches.
RESULTS
Doubles Quarterfinals
Maxi Homberg/Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Cabrera-Bello/Strom (ARIZ) 8-2
George Davis/Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPP) def. Marek/Rubell (USC) 8-6
Singles Round of 16
Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Niedner (USD) 6-1, 6-4
Singles Quarterfinals
#23 Smith (ARIZ) def. Edward Winter (PEPP), 6-2, 7-5
Consolation Matches
Maxi Homberg (PEPP) def. Berry (CP), 6-0, 4-6 (10-5)
Ginat (ASU) def. George Davis (PEPP), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Cabrera-Bello (ARIZ) def. Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPP), 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-4
SUNDAY'S MATCH
Doubles Semifinals
Homberg/Winter (PEPP) vs. Carlsson Halldin/Davis (PEPP), 10 a.m.
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