MALIBU, Calif. — In another spirited home match against one of the nation's top-10 teams, the #40 Pepperdine men's tennis team took the doubles point against the #7 Columbia Lions, yet fell in a tight, 4-2 match at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Wednesday afternoon.
Momentum favored the Waves (5-7) early, as Pepperdine won the doubles point behind a huge upset win from Linus Carlsson Halldin and George Davis, then Edward Winter and Pietro Fellin's thrilling 7-5 win at the third position that put the Lions (11-2) on their heels. However, Columbia outdueled Pepperdine in singles play by winning two matches in straight sets, then a pair of three-setters to hand the Waves another close loss.
Going into Wednesday's match, the Lions were the only non-Power 5 team with multiple top-20 doubles teams, yet the Waves were undaunted. Playing against #22 Max Westphal and Nicolas Kotzen of Columbia at the second position, George Davis and Carlsson Halldin broke the Lions for 3-1, then consolidated the break in the next game to extend their lead. The match was played on serve from that point forward, and the Waves held serve in the ninth game for a 6-3 upset win.
For a moment, Columbia was determined to make that loss an anomaly. The Lions evened the score with a 6-4 win at the first position, then Alex Kotzen and Henry Ruger held on deuce point to take a 5-4 lead at the third position. With Fellin serving in the next game, the Lions forced match point on another deuce point, but the Pepperdine senior came through with an ace to hold serve.
Now back in the match, Fellin's forehand at the net broke the Lions for a 6-5 lead, however, the Lions won the first three points in the next game to force breakpoint. With Winter serving in crunch time, the freshman delivered, firing off back-to-back aces and smoking a forehand between the two Lions to force deciding point. On deuce point, Winter's groundstrokes set up Fellin's winner at the net, capping off the team's 7-5 win.
Although Pepperdine had the upper hand in singles, the Lions flipped the script late in the first set. Four Lions won their first sets; eventually two won in straight sets to help Columbia reclaim the lead.
After the Lions tied the match at 1-1 with a win at the fourth position, Carlsson Halldin put another point for the Waves on the scoreboard with a 6-4, 6-3 win over #113 Nicolas Kotzen. Despite trailing by a break in the first set, Carlsson Halldin broke Kotzen for 4-4, then consolidated the break in the next game. The Pepperdine captain broke Kotzen to take the first set 6-4, then he held steady in the second set before breaking Kotzen for a 5-3 lead. Carlsson Halldin consolidated the break in the next game and capped off his 6-4, 6-3 win with a forehand slice at the net for his first win over a ranked singles opponent this season.
Pepperdine's 2-1 lead was short-lived. The Lions won in straight-sets at the fifth position, then #18 Michael Zheng fended off #24 Winter's three-set comeback attempt at the first position to take a 3-2 lead. Needing to win both remaining singles matches in the third set, Pepperdine tried helping its case as Fellin pushed his match against #77 Alex Kotzen to the third set with his 7-5, second-set win. But Columbia would clinch the match with Henry Ruger's 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at the sixth position.
RESULTS
Singles
1. #18 Michael Zheng (COL) def. #24 Edward Winter (PEPP) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. #77 Alex Kotzen (COL) vs. Pietro Fellin (PEPP), 7-6 (4), 5-7, 4-2, unfinished
3. Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPP) def. #113 Nicolas Kotzen (COL) 6-4, 6-3
4. Max Westphal (COL) def. George Davis (PEPP) 6-2, 6-2
5. Hugo Hashimoto (COL) def. Zach Stephens (PEPP) 7-5, 6-1
6. Henry Ruger (COL) def. Robert Shelton (PEPP) 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3
Order of finish: 4,3,5,1,6*
Doubles
1. #18 Theo Winegar/Michael Zheng (COL) def. Chris Papa/Maxi Homberg (PEPP) 6-4
2. Linus Carlsson Halldin/George Davis (PEPP) def. #22 Max Westphal/Nicolas Kotzen (COL) 6-3
3. Pietro Fellin/Edward Winter (PEPP) def. Alex Kotzen/Henry Ruger (COL) 7-5
Order of finish: 2,1,3
UP NEXT: The Waves welcome another top-10 opponent to Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Friday as they take on the #10 Harvard Crimson. First serve is at 2 p.m.
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