Pepperdine men’s tennis drops matches to Arizona and San Diego amid early-season doubles struggles

A weekend that swung on the doubles point

Pepperdine’s men’s tennis team experienced a difficult two-match stretch against ranked opponents Arizona and San Diego, with both contests shaped early by doubles results and decided by fine margins on the top courts.

On Jan. 30, 2026, in Malibu, Pepperdine entered the dual ranked No. 25 and fell 4-2 to No. 17 Arizona at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The Waves (2-2 at the time) dropped the opening doubles point, then leveled the match at 2-2 in singles before Arizona closed out the dual.

Arizona 4, Pepperdine 2: key singles breaks late

After Arizona secured doubles with wins on courts 1 and 3, Pepperdine responded through straight-set victories at No. 3 singles by Lasse Poertner (6-3, 6-0) and at No. 5 singles by Gustavo Ribeiro de Almeida (6-2, 6-2). Those results brought the dual to 2-2.

The outcome then turned on the top and bottom of the singles lineup. At No. 1 singles, Arizona’s Jay Friend—ranked No. 4 nationally—defeated Pepperdine’s Edward Winter (ranked No. 88) 6-4, 7-6, with the second set decided in an extended tiebreak. Arizona clinched on court 6, where Alejandro Arcila rallied after dropping the first set to beat David Fix 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Pepperdine’s match at No. 2 singles was abandoned with the third set tied 5-5.

San Diego 4, Arizona 1: Toreros beat Wildcats in San Diego days later

Arizona’s Southern California trip continued on Feb. 1, 2026, at the Hogan Tennis Center, where No. 10 San Diego defeated No. 17 Arizona 4-1. San Diego took the doubles point by winning courts 2 and 3, then won three completed singles matches to reach four points.

San Diego’s clinching singles came from Manvydas Balciunas on court 3 (6-0, 6-1), Stian Klaassen on court 4 (6-1, 6-2), and Vincent Marysko on court 2 in a pair of tiebreak sets (7-5, 7-6). Arizona’s point came at No. 1 singles, where Jay Friend beat Oliver Tarvet 6-4, 6-4. Two other singles matches were left unfinished.

What the two results indicate

Together, the duals reinforced how critical the doubles point can be in college tennis. Pepperdine’s match with Arizona featured an early deficit after doubles that required multiple singles wins just to pull level. Arizona, in turn, faced the same obstacle in San Diego, where the Wildcats’ loss of doubles preceded a narrow pathway to four total points.

• Pepperdine vs. Arizona: Pepperdine lost doubles and ultimately fell by two points, despite two decisive singles wins.
• Arizona vs. San Diego: Arizona lost doubles and did not win another completed singles match beyond court 1.

Match dates: Arizona at Pepperdine on Jan. 30, 2026; Arizona at San Diego on Feb. 1, 2026.