Pepperdine Team Page
URBANA, Ill. – The Pepperdine men’s tennis team went a perfect 2-for-2 on the opening day of the NCAA Singles Championship. Both Sebastian Fanselow and Alex Sarkissian battled to win in three sets and advance to the second round.
Fanselow (Essen, Germany/Kaplan College Prep), a 9-16 seed in the 64-person bracket, opened the singles tournament against Anis Ghorbel of Drake. Although Ghorbel, ranked #65, got on the board first with a 6-3 win in the opening frame, 11th-ranked Fanselow fought back in the second and third sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Now 29-8 on the season, Fanselow will face Oklahoma’s Guillermo Alcorta on Thursday at 8 a.m. (PT) Alcorta is ranked #58 and holds down the No. 2 spot in the Sooners’ lineup. The two have yet to face one another in collegiate competition.
The Waves’ second representative, #62 Sarkissian (Glendale, Calif./Glendale CC) played the role of spoiler and defeated #34 Hunter Reese of Tennessee 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
Sarkissian’s second-round match is scheduled for 7 a.m. (PT) on May 23 and will be against the winner of the #10 Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) vs. #28 Mac Styslinger (Virginia) contest.
In addition to Fanselow and Sarkissian’s second-round singles matches, the NCAA Doubles Championship begins tomorrow. Finn Tearney (Wellington, New Zealand/Wellington College) and Francis Alcantara (Cagayan de Oro, Philippines/Fresno State) open the tournament against Florida’s Bob van Overbeek and Stephane Piro. Doubles match times will be announced tomorrow morning and will not begin any earlier than 10:30 a.m. (PT)
For live coverage, including video, visit the NCAA Tournament Central.
NCAA Singles & Doubles Championship
May 22-27, 2013 at Urbana, Ill. (Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex)
Singles
R1 #11 Sebastian Fanselow (Pepperdine) def. #65 Ghorbel, Anis (Drake) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
R1 #62 Alex Sarkissian (Pepperdine) def. #34 Hunter Reese (Tennessee) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
