Pepperdine Team Page
SAN DIEGO – San Diego State, ranked #48 in the ITA poll, had its work cut out for it today, hosting #16 California and #12 Pepperdine on Thursday. Although the Aztecs earned a banner win over the Golden Bears, the Waves stopped their momentum with a 4-0 win in the day’s second match.
With the victory, the Pepperdine men’s tennis team improves to 9-2 in 2013.
After a delayed start, the two teams opted to compete in singles first in order to make the most of the remaining day light.
Sebastian Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Prep) tallied the first point of the afternoon, downing Derek Siddiqui, 6-3, 6-3. The win was the senior’s sixth straight as he improves to 7-1 in duals this season.
The Waves took a 2-0 lead after Mousheg Hovhannisyan (North Hollywood, Calif./Continental Academy) posted 6-2, 6-4 decision from the No. 5 spot in the lineup.
Playing at No. 3 for the first time this season, Francis Alcantara (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines/Fresno State) downed Hunter Nicholas 7-6, 7-2, while Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) clinched the dual for Pepperdine following his straight-set triumph over Thorsten Bertsch.
Kento Tanaka-Tamaki (Kihei, Hawaii/St. Anthony Junior-Senior HS) and Alex Sarkissian (Glendale, Calif./Glendale CC) were both in the midst of their respective third sets when action was suspended.
The Waves are back at it tomorrow, when they open action at the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship in La Jolla, Calif. Several Pepperdine players, past and present, will be competing. In addition to Pepperdine’s normal doubles lineup, Damian Gryzelko (London, England/Saddlebrook Preparatory School) and Tanaka-Tamaki will be competing with one another.
Alums Scott Doerner and Hugh Clarke will play side-by-side. Doerner was a member of the 2006 NCAA Championship winning team, and finished runner-up in the doubles championship with partner Andre Begemann. Clarke won 24 doubles matches with David Sofaer (Bellevue Hill, Australia/Sydney Distance Education HS) during the 2012 dual season to rank second all-time in the Pepperdine single-season record book.
Kelly Jones, who was a two-time NCAA doubles champion in 1984 and 1985 for the Waves, is also slated to compete. Jones will team up with former Pepperdine and current USC men’s tennis coach Peter Smith.
Complete draws can be view here.
Pepperdine vs San Diego State
Feb 28, 2013 at San Diego, Calif.
(Aztec Tennis Center)
#12 Pepperdine 4, #48 San Diego State 0
Singles
1. #7 Sebastian Fanselow (PEP) def. #71 Derek Siddiqui (SDSU) 6-3, 6-3
2. #83 Finn Tearney (PEP) def. Thorsten Bertsch (SDSU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
3. #87 Francis Alcantara (PEP) def. Hunter Nicholas (SDSU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
4. Marvin Tawasi (SDSU) vs. #73 Alex Sarkissian (PEP) 4-6, 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
5. Mousheg Hovhannisyan (PEP) def. Juan Florez (SDSU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Andranik Khachatryan (SDSU) vs. Kento Tanaka-Tamaki (PEP) 1-6, 7-5, 1-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
Pepperdine 9-2 (0-0 WCC); National ranking #12
San Diego State 8-4 (2-0 MW); National ranking #48
Order of finish: Singles (1,5,3,2)
