MALIBU, Calif. — Playing in a heated rivalry match, the #25 Pepperdine men's tennis team was unable to finish off the visiting USC Trojans in a 4-3 home loss on Saturday afternoon.
Despite winning a close doubles point, the match between the Waves (5-4, 1-0 WCC) and the Trojans (5-3) was decided in a tiebreak third set at the first singles position. Pepperdine got a straight-set win from David Fix at the sixth position and a three-set comeback victory from Linus Carlsson Halldin, yet the Trojans used the momentum from five first-set wins to pull off the upset.
Pepperdine got on the board first in doubles play with a lopsided win from the Waves' veteran team of #51 Carlsson Halldin and Maxi Homberg on court two. The Waves broke Volodymyr Iakubenko and Oscar Weightman right away and maintained their lead for the remainder of the match. After breaking the Trojans one final time for a 5-2 lead, Homberg served out the match for the Waves' 6-2 win.
The remaining doubles matches featured two big comebacks from Pepperdine teams. Despite taking a double-break deficit, Aleksa Pisaric and Lasse Poertner broke the Trojans in the eighth game to tie the score at 4-4 and put the match back on serve. Yet the Trojans held serve and sent the match to a breaker, where they took an early 3-1 lead on the Waves.
Trailing 4-2 in the breaker, Pisaric and Poertner battled back to tie the score at four when USC netted a Poertner backhand. The Waves took their first of the breaker at 5-4, but the Trojans didn't go quietly; USC saved a match point and tied the score at six to keep the match going. But with Pisaric back to serve, the Waves held and eventually won the match when a long USC forehand sailed long.
Although the Trojans won five first sets to start singles play, Fix was the lone exception on court six. The Pepperdine freshman broke Tristan Bradley on deuce point in the sixth game, then consolidated the break for a 5-2 lead. Fix and Bradley went on to serve out the first set, giving Fix a 6-3 advantage.
Fix's second set was not as close. The freshman broke Bradley immediately and consolidated the break before Bradley held serve in the third game, which ended up being Bradley's lone game of the set. Fix broke Bradley again, then eventually broke Bradley for the match in his brisk 6-3, 6-1 win.
That win proved to be critical for Pepperdine. USC went up 3-2 with straight-set wins on courts five and two, then won a three-set win on court four. But on court three, Carlsson Halldin rallied to win the second set against Volodymyr Iakubenko 6-3 to push their match to a third set.
Iakubenko put Carlsson Halldin on the ropes by taking an early break lead. Yet the Pepperdine captain rallied by holding serve in the third game, then breaking Iakubenko on a passing shot from the ad side that dropped just inbounds. The match was played on serve until Carlsson Halldin broke Iakubenko for the final time in the eighth game, then on match point the senior capped off his 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback with an ace.
All eyes turned to court one, where Edward Winter and #24 Peter Makk were in a three-set war. Winter pushed the match to a third set by winning the second set in a tiebreaker, yet Makk forced a decisive tiebreaker in the final set to clinch the match.
RESULTS
Singles
1. #24 Peter Makk (USC) def. Edward Winter (PEPPM) 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4)
2. Nathan Trouve (USC) def. #32 Maxi Homberg (PEPPM) 6-3, 7-6 (6)
3. Linus Carlsson Halldin (PEPPM) def. Volodymyr Iakubenko (USC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. Karl Lee (USC) def. Aleksa Pisaric (PEPPM) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
5. Matteo Morazzi (USC) def. Lasse Poertner (PEPPM) 6-1, 6-2
6. David Fix (PEPPM) def. Tristan Bradley (USC) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 6,5,2,4,3,1*
Doubles
1. Edward Winter/Hugh Winter (PEPPM) vs. Peter Makk/Tristan Bradley (USC) 6-6, unfinished
2. #51 Linus Carlsson Halldin/Maxi Homberg (PEPPM) def. Volodymyr Iakubenko/Oscar Weightman (USC) 6-2
3. Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPPM) def. Matteo Morazzi/Nathan Trouve (USC) 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish: 1,3,2*
