MALIBU, Calif. — No. 25 Pepperdine men's tennis (4-2) picked up a 5-2 home victory over South Florida (1-5) from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center Tuesday afternoon.
The Waves claimed the doubles point before winning four of six singles matches, as all six matches were finished in two sets.
Edward Winter clinched the match with a win over No. 28 Hugo Car at the No. 1 position, following wins from Aleksa Pisaric and Hugh Winter. Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida closed out his match soon after, bringing the final score to 5-2 in favor of the Waves.
"I love watching this team compete," said Director of Tennis Adam Schaechterle after the match. "Today was our best doubles point of the year, and then I didn't think we were our sharpest in singles. An hour into the singles, USF turned the dual into a full dogfight. But, these boys are together and tough. They kept digging and separated in the big moments."
The Waves earned the doubles point with a pair of quick wins on two and three. Maxi Homberg and Almeida played their first doubles match together at the No. 3 position, picking up a 6-2 victory.
The reigning WCC Doubles Team of the Week, Edward Winter and Hugh Winter, then clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win at the No. 2 position. The Winter brothers are now 3-0 together in doubles this season. Pisaric and Lasse Poertner went unfinished at the No. 1 position, while being up a break at 5-3.
After dropping the singles match on three, Pisaric earned his first singles victory of the season at flight five, with a (6-4, 6-0) win. Hugh Winter then made it a 3-1 Pepperdine advantage, with a straight set win on six (6-2, 6-4). Winter improved to 2-0 on the season in singles with the win.
Edward Winter clinched the match next on one, earning his first ranked win of the season, taking down 28th-ranked Hugo Car in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). After falling on court two, Almeida brought the final score of the match to 5-2, with a straight set win at the No. 4 position (7-5, 6-3).
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 53 Aleksa Pisaric/Lasse Poertner (PEPP) vs. James Newton/Hugo Car (USF) 5-3, unfinished
2. Edward Winter/Hugh Winter (PEPP) def. Max Mroz/Ettore Danesi (USF) 6-3
3. Maxi Homberg/Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP) def. Timeo Gaillard/Stepan Mruzek (USF) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2
Singles
1. No. 88 Edward Winter (PEPP) def. No. 28 Hugo Car (USF): 6-4, 6-4
2. Elijah Cham (USF) def. Lasse Poertner (PEPP): 6-3, 6-3
3. Stepan Mruzek (USF) def. Maxi Homberg (PEPP): 6-3, 6-3
4. Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (PEPP) def. Ettore Danesi (USF): 7-5, 6-3
5. No. 61 Aleksa Pisaric (PEPP) def. Gughi Verdese (USF): 6-4, 6-0
6. Hugh Winter (PEPP) def. Timeo Gaillard (USF): 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 3,5,6,1,2,4
Pepperdine returns Friday, playing host to No. 3 Stanford at 2 p.m. from Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
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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