University of Oregon
Pepperdine
Pepperdine Comes Back and Wins 4-3 Over UO
03/01/15 | Men's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. – No. 43 Oregon was within one point of clinching the overall match (3-0), but No. 53 Pepperdine won the next four singles matches and stormed back to win 4-3 Saturday afternoon in Malibu, Calif. Five of the six singles matches went to three sets, with the exception of Simon Stevens straight-set victory on court four for his 10th-straight singles win of the dual season.
How It Happened: Head coach Nils Schyllander made a slight change to the No. 2 doubles team, and it ended up paying dividends for UO early in the match. Cormac Clissold and Daan Maasland – playing their first doubles match of the season together – teamed up on court two and took down the Waves' Stefan Menichella and Tom Hill 6-3 to give UO an early lead in doubles.
Pepperdine tied it up when Guilherme Hadlich and Rakshay Thakkar bested Kevin Farin and Jayson Amos on court one 6-3, but the Ducks earned the point and the 1-0 lead when Stevens and Daniel Sardu defeated Lautaro Pane and Pedro Iamachkine 6-4 at the No. 3 position.
In singles the Ducks quickly made it 2-0 when Stevens took down Pepperdine's Hill at the No. 4 position 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. Sardu took a while longer to win, but the senior pulled out the victory 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on court three to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead.
The tide then shifted, and the Waves went on to win the next four matches. Menichella – the 12th-ranked singles player in the ITA's Southwest Region – earned the first point for Pepperdine when he took down Maasland on court one 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
The home team made it 3-2 when Clissold fell victim to another strong Pepperdine third set when the freshman was tripped up 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 by Luca Marquard.
Amos was the closest of any Oregon player to breaking through in a pivotal third set, but the Mission Viejo, Calif., native was unable to pull off the homecoming victory when he lost 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 to Iamachkine.
With the fate of the match resting on the outcome of court two, Farin was unable to pull out the victory and Hadlich came away with the 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 point to give the Waves the 4-3 win.
Back-And-Forth Singles: Four out of the six singles positions saw Ducks lose their first sets, come back and win their second, and then ultimately drop their third sets. Sardu was the only Duck able to drop his first set and win the next two.
Next Up: The Ducks will still have another opportunity to pick up their first true road win of the season in two days when they play at UC Santa Barbara on Monday, March 2 at 1 p.m.
No. 53 Pepperdine (6-3) 4, No. 43 Oregon (8-4) 3
Malibu, Calif.
February 28, 2015
Singles
1. Stefan Menichella (PEP) def. Daan Maasland (ORE) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Guilherme Hadlich (PEP) def. Kevin Farin (ORE) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3
3. Daniel Sardu (ORE) def. Rakshay Thakkar (PEP) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Simon Stevens (ORE) def. Tom Hill (PEP) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
5. Pedro Iamachkine (PEP) def. Jayson Amos (ORE) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
6. Luca Marquard (PEP) def. Cormac Clissold (ORE) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 1, 6, 5, 2
Doubles
1. Hadlich/Thakkar (PEP) def. Farin/Amos (ORE) 6-3
2. Clissold/Maasland (ORE) def. Menichella/Hill (PPP) 6-3
3. Stevens/Sardu (ORE) def. Pane/Iamachkine (PEP) 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Players Mentioned
