MALIBU, Calif. – Freshman Sebastian Fanselow and sophomore Alex Llompart posted straight-set victories over ranked opponents in singles play to help the #24 Pepperdine men’s tennis team to a 6-1 victory over #33 Duke on Wednesday.
Freshman Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand) was first to polish off his opponent in singles play at the #5 slot, and then Fanselow (Essen, Germany) defeated 70th-ranked Reid Carleton at the #2 spot and Llompart (Carolina, Puerto Rico) beat 63rd-ranked Dylan Arnould at the #3 position, which clinched the match.
The Waves suffered their only blemish on the final scoreline when 14th-ranked Henrique Cunha edged 90th-ranked Bassam Beidas (Cairo, Egypt) in a third-set super-tiebreaker at the #1 position. But the Waves finished off the match with two more wins, courtesy of sophomore Daniel Moss (Malibu, Calif.) at #6 in straight sets and freshman Mousheg Hovhannisyan (North Hollywood, Calif.) at #4 in three sets.
“I thought it was the best match we played all year,” Pepperdine Coach Adam Steinberg said. “To play like that in doubles really lifted us. I congratulate all the guys. Duke is a tough opponent.”
The Waves enjoyed victories by a large margin at the #2 and #3 doubles position, helping them to win the doubles point for the first time since late January.
Pepperdine plays again at home this Saturday (March 13) against #16 Baylor at 2 p.m.
#24 Pepperdine 6, #33 Duke 1
Doubles
1) Reid Carleton/Henrique Cunha (DUKE) def. Bassam Beidas/Alex Llompart (PEP), 7-6 (7)
2) Hugh Clarke/Finn Tearney (PEP) def. Dylan Arnould/David Holland (DUKE), 8-1
3) Sebastian Fanselow/Alejandro Moreno (PEP) def. Alain Michel/Torsten Wietoska (DUKE), 8-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1) #14 Henrique Cunha (DUKE) def. #90 Bassam Beidas (PEP), 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4)
2) #120 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #70 Reid Carleton (DUKE), 6-3, 6-3
3) Alex Llompart (PEP) def. #63 Dylan Arnould (DUKE), 7-5, 6-3
4) Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Torsten Wietoska (DUKE), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
5) Finn Tearney (PEP) def. David Holland (DUKE), 6-2, 6-2
6) Daniel Moss (PEP) def. Alain Michel (DUKE), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
Order of finish: 5, 2, 3, 1, 6, 4
Records: #24 Pepperdine 6-5, #33 Duke 5-5
