Sophomore David Fix prepares to swing at a match against Florida Atlantic University on Jan. 18 at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, Calif. Fix beat freshman Luca Miremont (6-1,6-2) in singles, according to Pepperdine Athletics. Photo by Melissa Houston (’26).
Pepperdine Men’s Tennis hosted the ITA Southwest Regional Championships at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center from Oct. 15-20, where juniors David Fix and Lasse Poertner secured their spot for the NCAA Singles Championship in Athens, Ga., from Nov. 17-22. Head coach Adam Schaechterle said the team was grateful for the opportunity to host.
“Our staff has really worked hard to engage and embrace the community, and the opportunity to host really highlighted how many families and local Malibu tennis players and alums are engaged with our program,” Schaechterle said. “I think that was a great feeling to have some crowds there and have so many families tracking and interacting with the team and seeing how we did.”
Day One
The first day of the tournament opened with only singles matches where graduate student Will Steinberg fell to the University of California, Irvine junior Ruining Huang (1-6, 1-6).
Day Two
Day two brought more singles matches in both the round of 64 and round of 32.
Fix took the win against San Diego State University (SDSU) sophomore Blake Anderson (6-2, 6-4) and later University of California, Santa Barbara junior Charlie Underwood (6-4, 6-1).
Poertner won against California Polytechnic State University fifth-yearErnst Gouws (6-0, 6-0) and over Arizona State University (ASU) junior Milos Mikovic (3-6, 6-1, 6-2).
Junior Aleksa Pisaric defeated ASU junior Niels Villard (6-4, 6-0) and later ASU sophomore Alejandro Arcila (6-4, 6-1).
Sophomore Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida won against Huang (7-5, 6-2) and over the University of Southern California (USC) junior Connor Church (3-6, 6-2, 6-1).
Redshirt junior Photos Photiades fell to ASU freshman Simon Caldwell (5-7, 5-7), before securing a win over ASU senior Cole Stelse in the consolation round (6-2, 7-6, 7-1), according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Day Three
On day three, singles matches reached the round of 16 and the double competition began with many athletes competing in both.
In singles, Fix, Chinlund, Poertner and Pisaric all won their individual matches, with Poertner, Fix and Pisaric all securing their spot in the quarterfinals, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
In the doubles round of 32, Photiades and junior Hugh Winter defeated a Loyola Marymount University pair. Pisaric and Poertner beat a UCLA pair. Fix and Almeida fell to a Cal Poly duo.
Junior Lasse Poertner prepares for a swing at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships from Oct. 15-20 at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, CA.. Poertner will compete at the NCAA Single Championships from Nov. 17-22. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Day Four
In the singles quarterfinals, Lasse, Pisaric and Fix all won their matches. Fix said his match against USC junior Andrin Casanova was very close, coming down to a couple of points for the win.
The doubles matches had Pisaric and Poertner with a win over a SDSU pair. Pisaric and Poertner also took a win over the University of San Diego (USD). Photiades and Winter fell to a SDSU pair.
Day Five
Heading into the semifinals, Poertner came ready to play, defeating USD junior Adrien Berrut with a comeback after losing the first set (2-6, 6-4, 6-2). This victory booked Poertner’s ticket to the NCAA championship in November.
Fix and Pisaric went head-to-head for a second bid, with Fix taking the ultimate win (6-4, 6-2).
“It means a lot to me to have this bid because it was the goal for me since I came to college and reaching that in my second fall is amazing,” Fix said. “Just competing with the best college players is an amazing opportunity.”
In the double’s semifinals, Pisaric and Poertner again took a over a USD pair, securing their spot in the finals.
Juniors Aleksa Pisaric (left) and Lasse Poertner (right) support each other at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships from Oct. 15-20 at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu, CA. The pair competed in the double final Oct. 20. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Day Six
In a powerful match, Pisaric and Poertner ultimately fell to SDSU juniors Jan Kobierski and Piotr Siekanowicz in the double finals.
What is Next
Fix said he is ecstatic to be heading to the NCAA singles championships.
“My goal would be to become an All-American at the NCAA tournament,” Fix said. “But in general, just to keep growing as a tennis player and getting better for the spring season.”
Schaechterle said he is very proud of the athletes for taking the only two available NCAA qualification singles spots in such a competitive region.
“It was just a great statement about the work our guys have been putting in and how much they’ve developed,” Schaechterle said. “The players are challenging each other with iron sharpening iron in every practice.”
Next up, the Waves are competing at the Fort Worth 75K Challenger in Fort Worth, TX. from Oct. 19-25.
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Contact Lang Cooper via email: lang.cooper@pepperdine.edu
