STILLWATER, Okla. — Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen have survived and advanced.
The Pepperdine women's tennis doubles duo outlasted Hannah Viller Moeller and Mao Mushika of California in an epic, come-from-behind 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (13) win in the first round of the NCAA Doubles tournament in Stillwater, Okla. on Tuesday night.
In a match that was delayed an hour, the Waves and Golden Bears were the last match off the court thanks to an epic third-set tiebreak, which featured nine ties and the Waves saving a match point at 9-7. The top-seeded Waves prevailed thanks to clutch serving from Broadus and a trio of forehands at the net from Tjen at 13-13 that turned the tide for Pepperdine.
Facing a Pepperdine team that beat them three times in the regular season — and twice in tiebreaks — #18 Viller Moeller and Mushika held serve with the Waves for the first seven games before breaking the Waves for a pivotal 5-3 lead. The Golden Bears held serve for the 6-3 first-set win, then appeared to turn the tide by breaking the Waves on deuce point in the third game.
However, Broadus and Tjen began their gradual climb back into the match. The 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament broke back to put the match on serve, then consolidated the break with a Tjen overhead winner in the fifth game. That sparked a run of seven consecutive points won by the Waves, who promptly broke the Golden Bears again and took a 40-0 lead with Tjen behind the service line before consolidating the break for 5-2. With Mushika back to serve, Broadus and Tjen won four straight points and a Broadus backhand down the line broke the Golden Bears to send the match into a 10-point tiebreak set.
As the Cal duo took a 3-1 lead, it initially appeared like the Waves ran out of gas. But fortunately for Pepperdine, the Waves rattled off the next two points to even the score at the changeover.
From that point forward, no team led by more than two points in the breaker. Trying to chip away from behind, the Waves fell behind by two points three times. Trailing 8-6, Tjen's winner helped the Waves pull within one, yet the Golden Bears pushed the Waves to the brink of a first-round upset by making the score 9-7 on the next point.
With Broadus serving for the match, the Golden Bears netted a return to keep the Waves' hopes alive. Both teams went back and forth over the next four points.
Nerves set in on both sides. Leading 11-10, the Waves had a chance to win the match, but an overhead from Viller Moeller tied the score for the seventh time in the breaker. Mushika went back to serve for the Golden Bears on the next point, double-faulted on her second serve to give the advantage back to Pepperdine, but redeemed herself with an overhead winner to tie the score at 12.
Then, with the season in the balance and the score tied at 13-all, Tjen delivered in the biggest way for the Waves.
Viller Moeller served to Tjen in the deuce side corner, who returned with a forehand and immediately advanced to the net. Another quick forehand at the net from Tjen prompted a backhand response from Mushika, and then a quick, slice forehand from Tjen set up her overhead winner at Mushika to take a 14-13 advantage. Both Waves were energized as Tjen went back to serve for the match, but the senior calmly delivered under pressure with a serve the Golden Bears couldn't handle to cap off the 15-13 tiebreaker.
Tomorrow, the Waves will face Auburn's Ariana Arseneault and DJ Bennett in the round of 16 at 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT. Earlier this season, Broadus and Tjen beat the Tigers 7-6 (1) to clinch the doubles point in the Waves' 6-1 win over Auburn on Feb. 23. Arseneault and Bennett beat UCLA's Tian Fangran and Elise Wagle 7-6 (3), 7-5 on Tuesday evening.
Earlier that afternoon, #39 Tjen fell in a close 7-6 (1), 7-5 match to 9-16-seed Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia in the second round of the NCAA Singles Tournament.
In an NCAA semifinal rematch between the two players, Tjen withstood Vidmanova's good serving and broke Vidmanova in the fifth game of the first set to take a 3-2 lead. Tjen consolidated the break and the match was played on serve until the tenth game, when Vidmanova broke Tjen to put the match back on serve. The Georgia junior fell behind in the next set, but fought off two break points to consolidate the break, then Tjen held on deuce point in the twelfth game to bring the first set into a tiebreak. Both players traded points early in the breaker, yet Vidmanova rattled off five points in a row to take the first set 7-6 (1).
Then in the second set, Tjen went up a break early in the second set and found success with an aggressive, offensive gameplan and a slew of forehands at the doubles line. Tjen went up a break early and led by 4-1 after holding serve in the fifth game, yet Vidmanova kept hanging around. Vidmanova held serve on deuce point for 5-3, then broke Tjen to put the match back on serve in the ninth game. With the score tied at five games all, Vidmanova broke Tjen on deuce point, then fought off two break points to hold serve for the 7-6 (1), 7-5 win.
RESULTS
Singles Round of 32
#16 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #39 Janice Tjen (PEPP) 7-6 (1), 7-5
Doubles Round of 32
#2 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen def. #18 Mao Mushika/Hannah Viller Moeller (CAL), 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (13)
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