Saturday, January 18
Malibu, Calif.
1:00 PM
UC Irvine
4
at
3
Pepperdine
Anteaters Upend Pepperdine in 4-3 Thriller
January 18, 2025 | Men's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. β The UC Irvine men's tennis team was trailing 3-2 when seniors Rithvik Krishna and Hiroki Sakagawa delivered clutch wins for a 4-3 victory over Pepperdine Saturday at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
The Anteaters (1-1) ended a 23-match drought in the all-time series with their first win over the Waves since 1992. PepperdineΒ has made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearancesΒ and boasts the second-ranked recruiting class according to Tennis Recruiting Network.
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The Waves (0-1) claimed the doubles point with a 6-3 triumph at No. 2 and a 6-4 win at No. 1. Hugh Winter then gave the home team a 2-0 advantage, taking his match at No. 5 singles in straight sets. Β
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Not long after, freshman Ruining Huang upended David Fix, 7-5, 6-3, at No. 6. Sophomore Andy Nguyen followed suit, bringing the 'Eaters even with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Linus Halldin on court two.
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No. 36 Maxi Homberg put Pepperdine back out front as he edged senior Noah Zamora, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, at the top of the lineup.
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Senior Rithvik Krishna then stepped up, keeping UC Irvine alive with a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Lasse Poertner at the fourth spot.
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All eyes turned to court three where senior Hiroki Sakagawa was locked in a close battle with Aleksa Pisanic. SakagawaΒ rose to the challenge as he won the big points to deliver a match-clinching 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win.
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UC Irvine will face another tough road test on Monday, Jan. 20, when it heads to USC. First serve is set for 11 a.m. at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium.
Β
The Anteaters (1-1) ended a 23-match drought in the all-time series with their first win over the Waves since 1992. PepperdineΒ has made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearancesΒ and boasts the second-ranked recruiting class according to Tennis Recruiting Network.
Β
The Waves (0-1) claimed the doubles point with a 6-3 triumph at No. 2 and a 6-4 win at No. 1. Hugh Winter then gave the home team a 2-0 advantage, taking his match at No. 5 singles in straight sets. Β
Β
Not long after, freshman Ruining Huang upended David Fix, 7-5, 6-3, at No. 6. Sophomore Andy Nguyen followed suit, bringing the 'Eaters even with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Linus Halldin on court two.
Β
No. 36 Maxi Homberg put Pepperdine back out front as he edged senior Noah Zamora, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, at the top of the lineup.
Β
Senior Rithvik Krishna then stepped up, keeping UC Irvine alive with a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Lasse Poertner at the fourth spot.
Β
All eyes turned to court three where senior Hiroki Sakagawa was locked in a close battle with Aleksa Pisanic. SakagawaΒ rose to the challenge as he won the big points to deliver a match-clinching 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win.
Β
UC Irvine will face another tough road test on Monday, Jan. 20, when it heads to USC. First serve is set for 11 a.m. at David X. Marks Tennis Stadium.
Β
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
123
363
636
#2 Singles Match
12
67
46
#3 Singles Match
12
76
64
#4 Singles Match
123
737
565
#5 Singles Match
12
24
66
#6 Singles Match
12
76
53
Order of Finish:
5,6,2,1,4,3
Wednesday, April 15
Tuesday, March 31
Monday, February 23
Tuesday, February 17
