.jpeg "Pepperdine beats Denver in opening round of ITA National Indoor Team Championship.")
Pepperdine beats Denver in opening round of ITA National Indoor Team Champi...
Pepperdine Team Page
MALIBU, Calif. – The #7-ranked Pepperdine men’s tennis team won its first match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend 7-0 vs. #53 Denver. The Waves advance to the championship match tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will play the winner of the Florida State-Drake contest.
In doubles the Waves (3-0) quickly took control in the No. 2 and No. 3 matches, jumping out to leads of 4-1 and 5-2, respectively.
In the top match, Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) and Francis Alcantara (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines/Fresno State) remained on serve in the early games versus Enej Bonin and Jens Vorkefeld. Tied at two, the Pepperdine pair was able to break serve and hold to build a 4-2 advantage.
Meanwhile in the No. 3 match, David Sofaer (Bellevue Hill, Australia/Sydney Distance Education HS) and Mousheg Hovhannisyan (North Hollywood, Calif./Continental Academy) disposed of Luke Manley and Frederick Bjorn, 8-4.
Sebastian Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Pre) and Alex Sarkissian (Glendale, Calif./Glendale CC) followed suit with an 8-2 triumph against Henry Craig and Max Krammer to clinch the doubles point.
Tearney and Alcantara were tied at 5-all when play was abandoned.
The momentum carried over into singles, as the Waves won five of the six matches in straight sets. Sofaer was the first to put his match in the books, downing Alex Clinkenbeard, 6-1, 6-2.
Fanselow, Hovhannisyan, Sarkissian and Tearney extended Pepperdine’s lead, as all four student-athletes won in convincing fashion.
Alcantara blanked #77-ranked Fabio Biasion in the opening frame, before falling by a 6-4 margin in the second. With the overall dual decided, the opponents battled in a 10-point tiebreaker. Alcantara emerged victorious, and won 10-5.
The Pioneers, 0-1, will play in a consolation match tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.
Across the nation, 60 schools will be competing for the 15 vacant spots at the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship which will be hosted next month by Washington. The winner of tomorrow’s championship match advances moves on to the next round on Feb. 15.
Denver vs Pepperdine
Jan 26, 2013 at Malibu, Calif.
(Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)
#7 Pepperdine 7, #53 Denver 0
Singles
1. #6 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #47 Enej Bonin (DEN) 6-1, 6-3
2. Alex Sarkissian (PEP) def. Jens Vorkefeld (DEN) 6-3, 6-1
3. Finn Tearney (PEP) def. Henry Craig (DEN) 6-2, 6-4
4. Francis Alcantara (PEP) def. #77 Fabio Biasion (DEN) 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5)
5. Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Max Krammer (DEN) 6-3, 6-2
6. David Sofaer (PEP) def. Alex Clinkenbeard (DEN) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. Finn Tearney/Francis Alcantara (PEP) vs. Enej Bonin/Jens Vorkefeld (DEN) 5-5, unfinished
2. Sebastian Fanselow/Alex Sarkissian (PEP) def. Henry Craig/Max Krammer (DEN) 8-2
3. David Sofaer/Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Luke Manley/Frederick Bjorne (DEN) 8-4
Match Notes:
Denver 0-1; National ranking #53
Pepperdine 3-0; National ranking #7\
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,1,5,2,3,4)
