SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Pepperdine's Maxi Homberg and Edward Winter are still rolling.
The Waves upstart underclassmen punched their tickets to the ITA National Fall Championship quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 win over UCF's Lleyton Cronje and Santiago Giamichelle on Thursday afternoon.
Homberg (Freising, Germany) and Winter (Adelaide, Australia)'s quarterfinal appearance is the Waves' best doubles showing at the ITA National Fall Championships since it replaced the ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in 2017. The win sets up a match against Old Dominion brothers Connor Van Schalkwyk and Codie Van Schalkwyk in the semifinals tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
Pepperdine and UCF's match was played on serve until the sixth game, in which Winter and Homberg broke the Knights on deciding point to go up a break. In the next game, the Waves held serve thanks to Winter smoking a backhand past both UCF players at the service line. Although the Knights went up 40-15 in the next game, the Waves fought off two game points before winning the first set 6-3 when UCF's return of Winter's serve went wide.
In the second set, the match was played on serve for the majority of the set. Homberg and Winter got out of a jamb in the eighth game when they fended off three break points for a pivotal hold. With the second set tied 4-4, the Knights held serve, then with Winter serving, the Waves rattled off three straight points to win the tenth game. Pepperdine won a decisive break point in the next game thanks to Homberg's quick reflexes at the net on deuce point. The Waves held serve in the final game and punched their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-5 win.
Later in the consolation men's doubles draw, Linus Carlsson Halldin (Stockholm, Sweden) and George Davis (London, England) took on Washburn's Santiago Rendon and Tim Hammes. The Waves made quick work of the Division II team with a 6-3, 6-0 win for the team's sixth win of the year. With the win, the Pepperdine duo will face #6 Hunter Heck and Karlis Ozolins of Illinois — the top seed in the tournament that was upset in the first round.
RESULTS
Doubles Second Round
Maxi Homberg/Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Lleyton Cronje/Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) 6-3, 7-5
Consolation Doubles Match
Linus Carlsson Halldin/George Davis (PEPP) def. Santiago Rendon/Tim Hammes (WASH) 6-3. 6-0
FRIDAY'S MATCHES
Doubles Quarterfinals
Maxi Homberg/Edward Winter (PEPP) vs. Connor Van Schalkwyk/Codie Van Schalkwyk (ODU), 2:30 p.m.
Consolation Doubles
Linus Carlsson Halldin/George Davis (PEPP) vs. #6 Hunter Heck/Karlis Ozolins (ILL), 4 p.m.
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