Pepperdine Team Page
MALIBU, Calif. – The Pepperdine men’s and women’s tennis teams were recognized for their superb efforts during the month of February by the West Coast Conference office, it was announced today. Sebastian Fanselow was named WCC Men’s Singles Player of the Month, while Finn Tearney and Francis Alcantara picked up the award in doubles. On the women’s side, Khunpak Issara and Lorraine Guillermo earned WCC Women’s Doubles Team of the Month for the sixth time in two seasons.
Senior Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Prep), currently ranked #11 in singles by the ITA, went undefeated during the month of February. Despite going up against the top players from seven ranked schools (#17 Texas, #11 Florida, #4 Ohio State, #9 Duke, #29 Florida State, #51 TCU and #48 San Diego State), Fanselow posted a perfect 5-0 record.
The senior went 3-0 vs. ranked players, including a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over the Aztecs’ #71-ranked Derek Siddiqui. Fanselow was well matched with Duke’s Henrique Cunha. The foes, both ranked in the top-10 at the time, battled all the way to a 5-5 tie in the third set when action was suspended.
Fanselow is 8-4 in dual action this season and is 14-6 overall in 2013. This is the fifth time in his career the two-time All-American has been named WCC Singles Player of the Month.
Winning the monthly honor in doubles was Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) and Alcantara (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines/Fresno State), who delivered a 4-1 record during the month of February.
The Waves’ top pair chalked two wins at the ITA National Indoor Championship – including an 8-6 triumph over #2-ranked Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler. For their efforts from the No. 1 spot in the doubles line, Tearney and Alcantara were awarded all-tournament honors.
Tearney and Alcantara are 13-4 overall in 2013, including 8-3 in dual play, and are currently listed at a league-best #47 in the ITA doubles rankings.
The Waves went 5-2 in February, with wins vs. #17 Texas, #11 Florida, #29 Florida State, #51 TCU and #48 San Diego State.
The women’s team also got in on the awards action, and Pepperdine’s top doubles pair of Issara (Bangkok, Thailand/Bangkok Patana School) and Guillermo (Walnut, Calif./Rowland HS) chalked four victories during the month of February.
Issara and Guillermo defeated pairs from #56 Fresno State, #5 Stanford, #29 Arizona State and #3 UCLA.
The Pepperdine tandem topped Stanford’s Nicole Gibbs and Kristie Ahn in convincing fashion, 8-2. Although the top Cardinal doubles team was unranked, the duo comes highly touted. Gibbs is the defending NCAA singles and doubles champion.
The Wave tandem also edged the Bruins’ Robin Anderson and Chanelle Van Nguyen, 8-6.
Issara and Guillermo have dominated the WCC awards this season, winning the doubles honor three of the four times it has been awarded in 2012-13.
The Pepperdine men’s team faces #16 Cal on the road on Saturday, March 16, while the women’s squad opens action at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic against #34 Yale on Friday morning.
2012-13 WCC MEN'S TENNIS SINGLES PLAYER OF THE MONTH
September: Alvarno Nazal, Gonzaga
October: Tuomas Manner, Saint Mary's
November: Sebastian Fanselow, Pepperdine
January: Patrick Kawka, BYU
February: Sebastian Fanselow, Pepperdine
2012-13 WCC MEN'S TENNIS DOUBLES PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
October:Jesse Kiuru/Joakim Norstrom, Saint Mary’s
November: Clarke Spinosa/Thibaut Visy, San Diego
January: Mousheg Hovhannisyan/David Sofaer, Pepperdine
February: Francis Alcantara/Finn Tearney, Pepperdine
2012-13 WCC WOMEN'S TENNIS DOUBLES PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
October: Lorraine Guillermo/Khunpak Issara, Pepperdine
November: Lorraine Guillermo/Khunpak Issara, Pepperdine
January: Yurie Hashiguchi/Milica Hadzie-Tanovic, San Francisco
February: Lorraine Guillermo/Khunpak Issara, Pepperdine
