MALIBU, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2023) — Six Gauchos earned wins in either singles or doubles Sunday, but UC Santa Barbara's unbeaten start to the 2023 men's tennis season came to an end against Pepperdine in Malibu, 4-3. Despite the loss, UCSB's 9-1 record remains their best mark by far through ten dual matches in the last decade.
THE MATCH
Final: UC Santa Barbara 3, Pepperdine 4
Records: UC Santa Barbara 9-0 (0-0 Big West), Pepperdine (2-5, 0-0 West Coast)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pepperdine won on court two to open doubles action, but the Gauchos were undeterred, with Gianluca Brunkow and Lucca Liu winning on court three to level things and the No. 28 duo of Kai Brady and Phillip Jordan winning on court one, taking down the No. 38 doubles pairing to win UCSB the first point of the match.
In singles, the hosts showed why they are ranked as one of the top 30 tennis teams in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, winning on courts four, three, and one to put themselves one point away from clinching victory. Conrad Brown, who won the final point in the Gauchos' comeback over Boise State on Friday, did his best but could not stave off the Waves.
Action continued after Pepperdine clinched victory, and UCSB showed that, despite the result, they can compete with the nation's top teams. Pablo Masjuan, the No. 81 singles player in the country, defeated his 89th ranked opponent on court two in straight sets, and Luka Mrsic came back after a first set loss on court five to win in three.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #28 Jordan/Brady (UCSB) def. #38 De Jonge/Zeitvogel (PEPP) 6-3
2. Homberg/Vasa (PEPP) def. Brown/Masjuan (UCSB) 6-3
3. Brunkow/Liu (UCSB) def. Fellin/Hadigian (PEPP) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. Daniel De Jonge (PEPP) def. Phillip Jordan (UCSB) 6-3, 6-2
2. #81 Pablo Masjuan (UCSB) def. #89 Tim Zeitvogel (PEPP) 6-4, 6-3
3. Eero Vasa (PEPP) def. Gianluca Brunkow (UCSB) 6-3, 6-4
4. Eric Hadigian (PEPP) def. Lucca Liu (UCSB) 6-4, 6-0
5. Luka Mrsic (UCSB) def. Pietro Fellin (PEPP) 3-6, 6-4, 10-2
6. Maxi Homberg (PEPP) def. Conrad Brown (UCSB) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 3, 1, 6, 2, 5
UP NEXT
UCSB will look to bounce back with a return home next weekend, taking on Oregon on Friday, February 24 at the Arnhold Tennis Center. First serve is set for 11 a.m. and a live stream will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.
