Thursday, October 15
Malibu, Calif.
Pepperdine University
vs
ITA Division I Regional Championships
Photo by: Greg Bintz
10/20/2026 5:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine men's tennis picked up many wins at the ITA Regional Championships this last week, resulting in a pair of Waves earning a spot in the NCAA individual championships in November.
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Lasse Poertner and David Fix were the ones to clinch the singles bids after each winning five consecutive matches to reach the final. The NCAA Singles Championship will be held from Nov. 17-22 in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia.
"It was a special weekend being able to host the regional championships in Malibu and to be able to showcase Pepperdine to the tennis community," said Assistant Coach Max Koller. "Special thanks to all the staff and support from our administration for being able to pull off a successful event. Our players played well, earning two opportunities to represent Pepperdine at the NCAA individual championships this fall. It was great to see the team come together this weekend and see the growth as a program both on and off the court."
Fix's journey to the main draw singles final began with a dominant sweep of San Diego State's Blake Anderson (6-2, 6-4) in the round of 64, before advancing to the round of 16 with a victory over Charlie Underwood (6-4, 6-1) in the round of 16. The Birkenfeld, Germany native left no doubt as he cruised to a straight-set win over Cesar Cruz (6-0, 6-3) to move to the quarterfinals. Fix held his ground against No. 106-ranked Andrin Casanova, winning in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) before facing teammate Aleksa Pisaric (ranked No. 72) in the semifinal, guaranteeing a Wave to clinch an NCAA berth. It was ultimately Fix defeating Pisaric in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) to be one of the last two standing in the main draw singles.
For Poertner, it started with a round of 64 win over Cal Poly's Ernst Gouws (6-0, 6-0) before taking down Milos Mikovic in the round of 32, with a comeback win (3-6, 6-1, 6-2). In the round of 16, the junior handled business against no. 98-ranked Vincent Marysko (6-4, 6-4) and defeated No. 40-ranked Nathan Trouve (7-5, 6-0) to advance to the semifinals. He clinched the NCAA bid by recovering from a first-set loss to eventually claim the victory over San Diego's Adrien Berrut (2-6, 6-4, 6-2).
Sophomore Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida kept the winning ways going for Pepperdine, beating UC Irvine's Rui Ning Huang (7-5, 6-2) before claiming a comeback victory over Connor Church (3-6, 6-2, 6-1). In the round of 16, Almeida came up short against Cassius Chinlund, falling in straight sets (2-6, 0-6).
Photos Photiades came up short in his first main draw singles match versus Arizona State's Simon Caldwell (5-7, 5-7), and Will Steinberg dropped his qualifying singles match to UC Irvine's Huang (1-6, 1-6). Photiades did defeat Arizona's Cole Stelse in the consolation round after taking the tiebreaking point (6-2, 7-6 (7-1)).
Moving to doubles, Pepperdine found the W column even more as Poertner and Pisaric paired up to reach the finals. After receiving the round of 64 bye, the duo defeated UCLA's Andy Nguyen and Bengt Johan Reinhard 8-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-3 victory over San Diego State's Aleksi Lofman and William Kleege. An 8-5 win in the quarterfinal secured a spot in the semifinal, where Poertner and Pisaric grinded out a victory over San Diego's no. 63-ranked duo of Manvydas Balciunas and Vincent Marysko, winning the tiebreaker 10-7 to move on to the finals. It came down to another tiebreaker against San Diego State's Jan Kobierski and Piotr Siekanowicz, but the Waves came up short 10-4, falling just short of a complete sweep of the regionals.
Almeida and Fix also competed in doubles but fell 6-8 in the round of 64. Photos Photiades and Hugh Winter had a round of 64 bye and took the tiebreaker from Denis Maijorov and Max Wuelfing (8-7 (8-6)) to make an appearance in the round of 16. The duo ultimately came up short (5-8) against Kobierski and Siekanowicz.
Pepperdine's full results can be found below.
SINGLES
Round of 64
Simon Caldwell (ASU) def. Photos Photiades (PEPP): 7-5, 7-5
Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP) def. Rui Ning Huang (UCI): 7-5, 6-2
Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Ernst Gouws (CP): 6-0, 6-0
David Fix (PEPP) def. Blake Anderson (SDSU): 6-2, 6-4
Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) def. Niels Villard (ASU): 6-4, 6-0
Round of 32
Almeida (PEPP) def. Connor Church: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Poertner (PEPP) def. Milos Mikovic: 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Fix (PEPP) def. Charlie Underwood: 6-4, 6-1
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Alejandro Arcila: 6-2, 6-4
Round of 16
Cassius Chinlund def. Almeida (PEPP): 6-2, 6-0
Poertner (PEPP) def. Vincent Marysko: 6-4, 6-4
Fix (PEPP) def. Cesar Cruz: 6-0, 6-3
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Carson Lee: 6-4, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Poertner (PEPP) def. Nathan Trouve: 7-5, 6-0
Fix (PEPP) def. Andrin Casanova: 6-3, 6-4
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Sasha Rozin: 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Semifinals
Poertner (PEPP) def. Adrien Berrut: 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Fix (PEPP) def. Pisaric (PEPP): 6-4, 6-2
DOUBLES
Round of 32
Photos Photiades/Hugh Winter (PEPP) def. Denis Maijorov/Max Wuelfing: 8-7 (8-6)
Jovan Lubbe/Leo Matthysen def. David Fix/Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP): 8-6
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Andy Aguyen/Bengt Johan Reinhard: 8-6
Round of 16
Jan Kobierski/Piotr Siekanowicz def. Photos Photiades/Hugh Winter (PEPP): 8-5
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Aleksi Lofman/William Kleege: 8-3
Quarterfinals
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Botond Nagy/Luc Wieland: 8-5
Semifinals
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Manvydas Balciunas/Vincent Marysko: 3-6, 6-3 (10-7)
Finals
Jan Kobierski/Piotr Siekanowicz def. Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP): 6-4, 1-6 (10-4)
Full results for the tournament can be found here.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine men's tennis has a longstanding tradition of success, highlighted by an NCAA Championship in 2006 which came 54 years after its first NAIA Championship in 1952. Robbie Weiss recorded the program's first NCAA singles championship in 1988 after the program saw doubles national championships in 1984 and 1985. 44-time WCC Champions, Pepperdine has reached 40 NCAA Tournaments and six NCAA Regionals in its history with 53 total All-Americans.
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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media: @PepperdineMTEN.
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Lasse Poertner and David Fix were the ones to clinch the singles bids after each winning five consecutive matches to reach the final. The NCAA Singles Championship will be held from Nov. 17-22 in Athens, Ga., hosted by the University of Georgia.
"It was a special weekend being able to host the regional championships in Malibu and to be able to showcase Pepperdine to the tennis community," said Assistant Coach Max Koller. "Special thanks to all the staff and support from our administration for being able to pull off a successful event. Our players played well, earning two opportunities to represent Pepperdine at the NCAA individual championships this fall. It was great to see the team come together this weekend and see the growth as a program both on and off the court."
Fix's journey to the main draw singles final began with a dominant sweep of San Diego State's Blake Anderson (6-2, 6-4) in the round of 64, before advancing to the round of 16 with a victory over Charlie Underwood (6-4, 6-1) in the round of 16. The Birkenfeld, Germany native left no doubt as he cruised to a straight-set win over Cesar Cruz (6-0, 6-3) to move to the quarterfinals. Fix held his ground against No. 106-ranked Andrin Casanova, winning in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) before facing teammate Aleksa Pisaric (ranked No. 72) in the semifinal, guaranteeing a Wave to clinch an NCAA berth. It was ultimately Fix defeating Pisaric in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) to be one of the last two standing in the main draw singles.
For Poertner, it started with a round of 64 win over Cal Poly's Ernst Gouws (6-0, 6-0) before taking down Milos Mikovic in the round of 32, with a comeback win (3-6, 6-1, 6-2). In the round of 16, the junior handled business against no. 98-ranked Vincent Marysko (6-4, 6-4) and defeated No. 40-ranked Nathan Trouve (7-5, 6-0) to advance to the semifinals. He clinched the NCAA bid by recovering from a first-set loss to eventually claim the victory over San Diego's Adrien Berrut (2-6, 6-4, 6-2).
Pisaric had a nice run of his own, defeating Arizona State's Niels Villard in straight sets (6-4, 6-0) and continued his success in the round of 32 (6-2, 6-4) over Alejandro Arcila and round of 16 (6-4, 6-1) over Carson Lee. The Serbian native punched his ticket to the semifinal with a two-set win over Sasha Rozin (6-3, 7-6 (7-1)), taking the second set tiebreaker in simple fashion.ITA regional championships ✅ #MakeWaves | @PepperdineWaves https://t.co/vwVdnhrTUN
— Pepperdine Men's Tennis (@PepperdineMTEN) October 20, 2026
Sophomore Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida kept the winning ways going for Pepperdine, beating UC Irvine's Rui Ning Huang (7-5, 6-2) before claiming a comeback victory over Connor Church (3-6, 6-2, 6-1). In the round of 16, Almeida came up short against Cassius Chinlund, falling in straight sets (2-6, 0-6).
Photos Photiades came up short in his first main draw singles match versus Arizona State's Simon Caldwell (5-7, 5-7), and Will Steinberg dropped his qualifying singles match to UC Irvine's Huang (1-6, 1-6). Photiades did defeat Arizona's Cole Stelse in the consolation round after taking the tiebreaking point (6-2, 7-6 (7-1)).
Moving to doubles, Pepperdine found the W column even more as Poertner and Pisaric paired up to reach the finals. After receiving the round of 64 bye, the duo defeated UCLA's Andy Nguyen and Bengt Johan Reinhard 8-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-3 victory over San Diego State's Aleksi Lofman and William Kleege. An 8-5 win in the quarterfinal secured a spot in the semifinal, where Poertner and Pisaric grinded out a victory over San Diego's no. 63-ranked duo of Manvydas Balciunas and Vincent Marysko, winning the tiebreaker 10-7 to move on to the finals. It came down to another tiebreaker against San Diego State's Jan Kobierski and Piotr Siekanowicz, but the Waves came up short 10-4, falling just short of a complete sweep of the regionals.
Almeida and Fix also competed in doubles but fell 6-8 in the round of 64. Photos Photiades and Hugh Winter had a round of 64 bye and took the tiebreaker from Denis Maijorov and Max Wuelfing (8-7 (8-6)) to make an appearance in the round of 16. The duo ultimately came up short (5-8) against Kobierski and Siekanowicz.
Pepperdine's full results can be found below.
SINGLES
Round of 64
Simon Caldwell (ASU) def. Photos Photiades (PEPP): 7-5, 7-5
Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP) def. Rui Ning Huang (UCI): 7-5, 6-2
Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Ernst Gouws (CP): 6-0, 6-0
David Fix (PEPP) def. Blake Anderson (SDSU): 6-2, 6-4
Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) def. Niels Villard (ASU): 6-4, 6-0
Round of 32
Almeida (PEPP) def. Connor Church: 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Poertner (PEPP) def. Milos Mikovic: 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
Fix (PEPP) def. Charlie Underwood: 6-4, 6-1
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Alejandro Arcila: 6-2, 6-4
Round of 16
Cassius Chinlund def. Almeida (PEPP): 6-2, 6-0
Poertner (PEPP) def. Vincent Marysko: 6-4, 6-4
Fix (PEPP) def. Cesar Cruz: 6-0, 6-3
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Carson Lee: 6-4, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Poertner (PEPP) def. Nathan Trouve: 7-5, 6-0
Fix (PEPP) def. Andrin Casanova: 6-3, 6-4
Pisaric (PEPP) def. Sasha Rozin: 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Semifinals
Poertner (PEPP) def. Adrien Berrut: 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Fix (PEPP) def. Pisaric (PEPP): 6-4, 6-2
DOUBLES
Round of 32
Photos Photiades/Hugh Winter (PEPP) def. Denis Maijorov/Max Wuelfing: 8-7 (8-6)
Jovan Lubbe/Leo Matthysen def. David Fix/Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP): 8-6
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Andy Aguyen/Bengt Johan Reinhard: 8-6
Round of 16
Jan Kobierski/Piotr Siekanowicz def. Photos Photiades/Hugh Winter (PEPP): 8-5
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Aleksi Lofman/William Kleege: 8-3
Quarterfinals
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Botond Nagy/Luc Wieland: 8-5
Semifinals
Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) def. Manvydas Balciunas/Vincent Marysko: 3-6, 6-3 (10-7)
Finals
Jan Kobierski/Piotr Siekanowicz def. Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP): 6-4, 1-6 (10-4)
Full results for the tournament can be found here.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE MEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine men's tennis has a longstanding tradition of success, highlighted by an NCAA Championship in 2006 which came 54 years after its first NAIA Championship in 1952. Robbie Weiss recorded the program's first NCAA singles championship in 1988 after the program saw doubles national championships in 1984 and 1985. 44-time WCC Champions, Pepperdine has reached 40 NCAA Tournaments and six NCAA Regionals in its history with 53 total All-Americans.
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FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine men's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media: @PepperdineMTEN.
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