LOS ANGELES, California –
Bunyawi Thamchaiwat of the #7 Pepperdine women's tennis program staved off multiple match points in the second set to force a third and went on to clinch Pepperdine's 4-3 marathon win over #36 USC on Sunday night at the David X. Marks Tennis Stadium.
Thamchaiwat (Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand) defeated Emma Charney 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 to give Pepperdine its 11th consecutive victory over USC dating back to 2016.
This was the Waves' fifth consecutive win, with all five coming against top-40 programs.
For the ninth time in 10 matches this spring, the #1 duo of
Savannah Broadus (Carrollton, Texas) and
Janice Tjen (Jakarta, Indonesia) won their doubles match on the top court, shutting out #24 Cheong and Han, 6-0, to open the match. USC (7-4) responded, however, taking courts three and then two to claim the doubles point – just the third doubles point that Pepperdine (8-2) has surrendered all season.
The Waves roared back in singles, winning four of six first sets. #19 Broadus was the first one home, defeating #39 Eryn Cayetano 6-3, 6-1 on court three to even the score at one apiece. USC then responded with a straight-set win of their own on court six to retake the lead.
Nikki Redelijk (Windermere, Fla.) tied it up for the second time with a 6-3, 6-2 win on court five over McKenna Koenig.
#32
Lisa Zaar (Stockholm, Sweden) earned a critical 6-3, 6-4 win on court two over #61 Snow Han to bring the Waves within one point of a victory. USC then took the top-15 match on court one, setting the stage for Thamchaiwat to become the hero and give Pepperdine a crucial ranked, road win.
RESULTS
DOUBLES
#1
Broadus/Tjen def. #24 Cheong/Han 6-0
#34 Cayetano/Sieg def. #38
Thamchaiwat/Zaar 6-4
Piper/Rodilosso def.
A. Campana/Redelijk 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
SINGLES
#4 Sieg def. #11
Tjen 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
#32
Zaar def. #61 Han 6-3, 6-4
#19
Broadus def. #39 Cayetano 6-3, 6-1
Thamchaiwat def. Charney 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1
Redelijk def. Koenig 6-3, 6-2
Piper def.
A. Campana 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 6, 5, 2, 1, 4*
NEXT UP: Pepperdine has a quick turnaround, facing #4 Ohio State on Tuesday, March 14 at 1 p.m. in Malibu.
FOLLOW: Follow @WavesTennis on Facebook and Twitter for immediate updates, results and more. Go to pepperdinewaves.com for all information, releases and schedules.
