March 11, 2024 — Kicking off its six-match homestand, the #51 Pepperdine men's tennis team swept the #55 Yale Bulldogs 4-0 at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Monday afternoon.
After winning the doubles point for the third-straight match, the Waves (5-6) needed to fend off a plucky Bulldogs (7-4) squad that won five first-sets in singles play. Thankfully for Pepperdine, the Waves got the job done with Linus Carlsson Halldin's straight-set win, plus come-from-behind three-set wins from #24 Edward Winter and Robert Shelton, the latter of whom clinched the match at the sixth position. With the result, Pepperdine extended its win streak to three heading into Wednesday's match against #6 Columbia.
Doubles play was all Pepperdine.
All three Waves teams either won or were up by at least a break by the time Maxi Homberg and Chris Papa clinched the doubles point at the first position with their 6-4 win. On court three, Winter and Pietro Fellin overpowered Yale's Jim Ji and Eric Li: The Bulldogs held in the first game, then Fellin and Winter took over, rattling off the next six games to give Pepperdine an early advantage in doubles with their 6-1 win.
Over on court one, Papa and Homberg broke Vignesh Gogineni and Roee Benya in the first game and went up a break before the Bulldogs held serve in the third. The match was played on serve from that point forward. Leading 5-4 with Papa serving for the match, Homberg's winner at the net clinched the doubles point for Pepperdine.
During singles play, the Bulldogs turned the tide by winning five of the six first sets — half of which were 7-5 decisions. On court one, #24 Winter trailed Gogineni 3-0 in the first set before mounting a comeback in which he broke Gogineni for a 4-4 tie. The freshman consolidated the break to take a 5-4 lead, yet Gogineni held serve and broke Winter en route to winning the first set 7-5.
The first set flipped a switch in Winter, who won the first five games in the second set en route to his 6-1, second-set win. While Winter and Gogineni traded breaks to start the third set, Winter won a pivotal break point for a 3-2 lead in the fifth game, then consolidated the break. He then broke Gogineni for a 5-2 lead and held serve in the eighth game for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 win.
Moments after Winter gave the Waves a 2-0 lead, Carlsson Halldin capped off his straight-set win over Eric Li to give the Waves a 3-0 lead. The Pepperdine captain was the only Wave to win his first set, yet he needed to fend off Li in a tiebreak to do so. Serving down 5-3 to Carlsson Halldin, Li held serve and broke Carlsson Halldin in the tenth game to tie the first set a five-all. The two players traded breaks to force a tiebreak third set that Carlsson Halldin won in a 7-3 rout. From there, the second set was all Carlsson Halldin, as he sealed his 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory and put Pepperdine up 3-0.
Over on court six, Shelton was making a comeback of his own. Trailing 5-4 in the first set, Shelton broke Tsoi to tie the first set, yet Tsoi broke back and held serve for a 7-5 win. Like his teammates, Shelton came through in the next two sets. The junior broke Tsoi in the first game of the second set and eventually took a 5-1 lead before winning the second set 6-2. Shelton was in complete control in the third set, as he clinched for the Waves with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 win at the sixth position.
At the time Shelton clinched, Pepperdine's George Davis, Fellin and Zach Stephens all rallied back to forced third sets on the remaining three courts.
RESULTS
Singles
1. #24 Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Vignesh Gogineni (YALE) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
2. Pietro Fellin (PEPP) vs. Theo Dean (YALE) 1-6, 7-6 (5), 2-3, unfinished
3. Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPP) def. Eric Li (YALE) 7-6 (3), 6-2
4. Zach Stephens (PEPP) vs. Jim Ji (YALE) 3-6, 7-6 (6), 0-1, unfinished
5. George Davis (PEPP) vs. Aidan Reilly (YALE) 5-7, 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
6. Robert Shelton (PEPP) def. Dylan Tsoi (YALE) 5-7, 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 1,3,6*
Doubles
1. Maxi Homberg/Chris Papa (PEPP) def. Vignesh Gogineni/Roee Benya (YALE) 6-4
2. Linus Carlsson Halldin/George Davis (PEPP) vs. #77 Theo Dean/Aidan Reilly (YALE) 5-3, unfinished
3. Edward Winter/Pietro Fellin (PEPP) def. Jim Ji/Eric Li (YALE) 6-1
Order of finish: 3,1
UP NEXT: The Waves' six-match homestand continues against #6 Columbia on Wednesday, March 13 at 2 p.m.
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